The Farmer's Daughter
by HavishamWard
Summary: After being hired by the Hawthorne's to work at the Everdeen Farm, Peeta meets the kind and beautiful farmer's daughter... he is falling fast for her. Will she feel the same way?
1. Chapter 1 The Help

I come from a long line of farmers... I have been a farmer my entire life. My dad was a farmer, my granddad, and great granddads before him were all farmers. It's what we Mellark's are good at; putting seed in the ground and watching it grow, raising and taking care of animals, driving tractors, whatever… we were good at it. So just a year ago, when my father decided to sell his farm, I didn't know what to do with myself. I thought I was going to run his farm one day. I was disappointed, angry even, that my father sold it to someone we barely knew. But now I realize my anger also came from another situation beyond my, or anyone else's control. He had his reasons of course, having medical bills to pay for after my brother Richie got sick. He doesn't have to worry about that now. Our prosperous farm sold faster than you can say sweetcorn. All of Richie's medical bills were paid off, including the funeral costs, and then some. Mom and Dad could finally relax, although who can really relax after the pain of losing a child. They bought a small house in Smithville and settled in, while I was bored out of my mind.

I just wasn't used to doing absolutely nothing. I was born to farm and born to use my hands, not sit on my ass. So every week for the last year, I stopped at the only gas station in Smithville and checked the classifieds for potential jobs. And finally, on a Monday morning, I finally saw a phone number worth dialing...

"_Local Farm- Looking for a strong worker; field work, milking cows, feeding animals. Must be willing to work long hours in any weather conditions. Experience appreciated. Good pay; food and housing included. Call 555-2681 for more information."_

I read it over and over again until I memorized the phone number and standing in the parking lot of the gas station, I dialed the number that was about to change my life forever.

"Hello!" A man's voice bellowed after it rang and rang.

There was alot of noise in the background that I recognized at tractors running.

"Hey, I'm calling about the ad in the county paper… about the job opening," I say, reaching my empty hand to remove my hat to scratch my head, a nervous habit.

"Yeah, yeah, great! Hang on, let me turn the tractor off so I can hear you," the man says and then I hear it quiet in the background. "Alright, what's your name?"

"Peeta, Peeta Mellark," I answer, knowing that he would know my last name.

"Mellark, huh? Mellark Farms?"

"That's right," I say, holding my breath.

"Alright, well, come on by this afternoon," he says eventually, "Everdeen Farms, ever hear of us?"

"No, sir, I haven't."

"Alight, we're five miles west of Milledgeville, go straight out of town on County Road D and then take a left on Everdeen Road... big white house with lots of buildings around about at 3:00?

"Okay, sure will, thanks alot, sir," I confirm, letting out a breath of relief.

"Just pull in the driveway and me or Gale will be in the shed, there's plenty of room to park," he says.

I thank him one more time before hanging up and then hop into my silver Dodge pickup truck and take off down the road. I go home to tell my parents about the job and have some lunch. Mom and Dad are pretty happy for me when I tell them about the Everdeens's farm opportunity.

"Everdeen, you said?" Dad asks me as I bite into my ham sandwich.

I nod in response.

"I think one of my old friends from high school married an Everdeen, but can't be sure... haven't seen or heard of her in years," Dad goes on.

"I'm just happy you found something, sweetie," my mom tells me, "We know it's been hard since Richie..."

And that's it... she's gone and said his name. I stand up from my chair so quickly that she jumps. My father doesn't look up from his plate, but I can tell my movement bothered him too by how slowly he's now chewing.

"I'll see you later," I tell them, not really knowing when I'll be back.

I'm already starting the truck before they have time to think.

It's about 20 miles from our old farm, far enough away that we're in the same county, but most likely different school districts. Finally, I turn onto Everdeen Road and take in the area. There's a hell of a lot of land, that's for sure… which means more work and I immediately get excited about this opportunity. The fields look like they're in good shape and I wonder what kind of help this family needs. As I get closer to the house, I see a large old white farmhouse with a wraparound porch, a large shed and a large barn, which looks as though it's been updated sometime in the last five to ten years. There are a few smaller buildings around the property and I know I'm going to need a tour. This looks a lot bigger than what I'm used to. There's a small pond behind the house where ducks are being chased by a golden retriever. Chickens are clucking around the grounds and a few cats rest on the porch. I park my truck and as soon as I get out of my truck, I hear country music coming from a radio in the shed.

I stand there for a minute just to take in the surroundings.

"Hey, you Peeta?"

I turn around when I hear the voice and find a guy who looks about to me my own age. He's slightly taller than me, but he looks strong and tough. He's got dark brown hair and looks as though he's been out in the sun way too long. He's looking at me as though I'm not what he's expected.

"Yeah, I hear you're looking for help," I answer, holding out my hand to shake his.

The man nods and takes my offered hand, "sure are… looks like we finally got ourselves a farmer," he says while looking at me and then at my muddy truck. "You should've seen the last few guys that came here for the job… driving cars and wearing tennis shoes, _dumbasses_."

I take a look at my steel toed boots, "well, I've been farming my entire life, but my dad sold his farm recently," I explain to him, though not wanting to get into details, I quickly move on, "So I'm just looking for something else."

"Sure, my name's Gale, by the way," he says. "Gale Hawthorne, I've worked here my whole life. Let me show you around."

I nod and follow him, "So who're the owners?"

"John and Kate Everdeen," Gale explains, "Although... John died few years back, bad accident... Catnip came home from school to find him laying on the ground. She was the last to talk to him," he pauses with a sad look on his face, "Anyway, so now it's Kate and her two girls, but they can't do it by themselves so… here I am. My dad and brothers work here too, although Vick's not much help because he's allergic to pretty much everything... he's pretty much a genius though; you'll meet them as soon as they get back from the feed store."

I follow him around the entire farm, which takes about an hour.

"These are Prim's goats," he says at we stop and take a look inside a small pen with three goats in it. "She shows them at the fair every year."

I nod once and we move to the next building, a small stable with two horses.

"Catnip's horses…" Gale says. "She takes care of them; we don't have to do a thing."

"Catnip?" I ask, eyebrows raised.

Gale nods and smiles, which turns into a sheepish grin, "I couldn't say Katniss when I was little... And they're the daughters, by the way. They do a lot of work around here themselves. They tend to the animals and the garden out back. We just work the fields, milk cows, and the occasional handy work that Katniss can't do herself."

Something about the name Katniss just makes my heart skip a beat, but I have no idea why. I'm pretty sure I've never heard of anyone named Katniss. But the name sounds sexy to me.

"Okay… and what does Mrs. Everdeen do?"

"To be honest, not much," Gale says, shrugging his shoulders, "She's still adjusting to the changes since John died… some days, she doesn't even get out of bed, and it's kind of hard on the girls. Puts a lot of pressure on Kat, but you won't hear her complain."

I nod in understanding. I know exactly what that's like. When Richie got sick, I did the work of two people and sometimes of three if Dad had to take him to the city for chemo.

"There's the house just down the road; me and my brother Rory are the only ones living in it and there's an extra room for you if you want it," Gale explains. "The girls like to cook for us, so you'll never be hungry, I promise you that."

He points to the east and I see a small tan house about a half mile away.

I laugh and nod gratefully, "alright, so when do I start?"

"Any time!" he says and we shake on it.

As soon as he's done showing me around, a Chevy truck pulls into the driveway. There's a man driving and a younger kid sitting in the passenger's seat and two people sitting on the edge in the back; another boy, who looks like a younger version of Gale, and a girl with long blond hair. They pull up right in front of us and the kid in the back jumps off and turns to help the girl out. She laughs as he spins her around in the air. They look to be around nineteen and twenty and the two are obviously a couple. The boy in the passenger's seat looks like he's maybe fourteen or fifteen. He wears glasses and I'm pretty sure I saw him put an inhaler back into his pocket. Otherwise, he looks pretty much the same as Gale. The older man, who I assume is Gale's dad looks like an older version of all three boys... the only difference is that he's got grey hair.

"What's up, Gale?" the girl asks when she reaches us, "Who's your friend?"

"Hey, Prim," Gale replies, smiling at her, "This is Peeta, and he works here... I just hired him."

She looks me up and down and smiles at me. I can't help by smile back at her; her happiness is infectious. She seems so innocent and sweet.

"I'm Primrose Everdeen, Peeta," she says, holding out her small hand.

"Good to meet you, Primrose," I tell her, shaking her hand, "Gale showed me your goats. Are you ready for the fair yet? Just a few weeks away."

She smiles an even bigger smile and nods excitedly before Gale introduces me to his two brothers, Rory and Vick, and then to his father, Jim.

"Glad you called earlier," Jim says, "We were getting nervous with the hay season coming up so soon and all. Rory here bales while only me and Gale unload and I'm getting too old for all this shit... We sure needed an extra hand," he says gratefully, "Vick here is allergic to just about everything so he can't help us with the hay," he adds, slapping a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, but he just shrugs, "Come on in the house, my wife Hazel is here, with our daughter Posy and I'm sure Kate is around somewhere."

I follow the Hawthorne's and Primrose into the house. I notice none of the other men take their boots off so I leave mine on too, but when we step into the kitchen, I immediately feel guilty. It's completely spotless, it almost shines. My mother never would have let us in the house with our work boots on. There's a woman standing at the sink, filling a pitcher of lemonade.

"There's my boys!" she yells happily, "And Prim, sweetheart," she adds, kissing the teenage girl on the forehead before turning to me. "And you- you must be Peeta Mellark, Jim said you called about the job."

"Yes, ma'am," I say, holding my hand out, "Thanks for the opportunity."

She shakes it happily with two hands. I can't get over how friendly these people are.

"Great to have you here, Peeta," she says. "It looks like you'll fit right in."

I nod my head, but before I can say anything else, I hear a happy giggle coming from behind me. I turn to see a small girl, holding a blanket and sucking her thumb. She has the cutest pigtails I've ever seen and she, like the rest of the Hawthorne's, has dark hair and dark brown eyes.

"And that's little Rosy Posy," Gale says, going over to pick her up. "She's three."

I nod and smile at her and she giggles again, hiding her face in Gale's shoulder."

"She thinks you're cute," Prim says to me, chuckling, "And she won't be the only one.

I'm not sure what she means by that, but I laugh anyway, "Well, I think she's cute too."

"Let me go get Kate, she'll want to meet you too," Hazel says, leaving the room.

I take a moment to look around the kitchen. There are a few photographs on the refrigerator; many of them are of the Hawthorne's with the Everdeen family, plus John and the other daughter Katniss. I see a few more pictures of the dark-haired Everdeen sister and I immediately think that she's very beautiful. And my first thought it that her body is just as sexy as her name sounds. She looks nothing like her blond sister who is always smiling brightly in every picture. Instead, Katniss is smiling but it's always a closed mouth smile, almost like a smirk… like she's got some sort of secret to keep from the world. Gale clears his throat to interrupt my thoughts and it makes me jump slightly. I look up to see who can only be Mrs. Everdeen standing in the doorway next to Hazel. She smiles brightly, just like Primrose. And she's blond like Prim too, but she seems quiet and reserved, which is not like Primrose.

I hold my hand out to her, "Mrs. Everdeen," I say politely. She takes my hand and gives it weak shake, "I'm Peeta Mellark."

She nods, but doesn't say anything. Although, she continues to smile sweetly.

"You hungry?" Prim interrupts us, "Katniss made cheese buns this morning before she left for work."

"Of course, we're hungry!" Jim yells, taking a seat at the large kitchen table.

Everyone else finds a chair and sits too, except for Primrose, who goes over to the counter where there is a large pan. She brings it over to the table and uncovers it and my mouth begins to water immediately. Nothing has ever looked so good before. Everyone around the table immediately grabs a cheese bun and stuffs them in their mouths.

"Now really," Hazel scolds, "You'd think I raised a bunch of pigs!"

Everyone laughs, "Hazel, there's another batch," Prim tells her, and then she turns to face me, "These are always a favorite here. Katniss is the best cook in the county!"

I laugh and take another bite.

"Where Katty?" Little Posy asks.

"She's at work, baby," Gale answers her, "when is she not?"

The room is quiet for a moment and I can't help but feel that Katniss is the breadwinner of the Everdeen family.

"What does Katniss do?" I ask the room, trying to appease the tension.

"She's a nurse at the birth center in the hospital," Primrose explains to me, "She loves it and they love her because she works when they want, all day every day."

I nod, "she must be good at it then."

Gale snorts into another bite of cheese bun, "Catnip's good at everything... well, almost everything."

I glance at the picture of her on the refrigerator again and something tells me that Gale is probably right, but then I wonder if he's actually her boyfriend, which makes the fact that I was just drooling over her picture pretty awkward.

Gale stands up and hands Posy to Hazel, "Well, I'm going to show Peeta the house, and he can get his stuff moved in today if he wants to," he tells the room.

I nod, "Yeah, that sounds good, but if you have work to do, I can help with that… I can move my stuff after dark, it's no problem."

"Well, a boy who likes to work!" Jim says happily, also getting up from the table, "We got lucky this time, boys!"

They all laugh again. I'm going to like working here; they are friendly and seem to laugh all the time. Great food and good farm work. So after promising Kate and Hazel we'd be back to the house for supper, I follow Gale and Rory out of the house and back down to the shed.

"You any good with engines?" Gale asks me.

I nod, "I built my first car in high school," I explain proudly, "Old mustang, and I've worked on a few tractors."

"Great... I've tried to get this tractor started up… I've been working on it for days."

"I'll take a look," I tell him, going around to the front to the engine.

We work at it for hours, until its nearly dark out.

"Okay, try it," I tell Rory for the millionth time, who's been sitting at the wheel for the last hour.

He turns the key and the engine roars to life.

"Yes!" Gale shouts, fist pumping the air, "Finally!"

"Alright, enough of this, let's grab a beer," Rory says, after shutting the engine down again.

As we walk to the house, I can't help but admire the view of the sunset here. And that's when I hear the sound of an engine and tires on gravel. And I turn around to see an old truck pulling into the driveway, Jason Aldean singing as loud as the old radio will allow. And I watch as the driver's dark hair blows in the wind with the windows down. After parking, she opens the door and jumps out and my heart clenches in my chest and I'm frozen.

Holy Shit.

Long legs, tan skin, short cut off shorts, white tank top, rubber boots, long dark hair that falls out of a loose braid and long slender, but strong arms. She has rosy cheeks, full pink lips and the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.

Again, Holy Shit.

This is the girl from the picture on the refrigerator.

This is Katniss Everdeen.


	2. Chapter 2 The Voice

What the hell did I do to get so lucky with this job?

As I watch the farmer's daughter walk towards Gale, Rory and I, she is smiling… that closed mouth smile, that smirk… and I know this girl's got a secret and I'm dying to know what it is.

"Hey Catnip," Gale says, going over to take her bag off her shoulder, "How was work?"

She sighs and it's a musical sound, "long… tiring. Two babies today though. So definitely worth it!"

She looks over at me and I suddenly feel very shy, shyer then I usually am. She looks as though she's sizing me up, sniffing me out... wondering if I'm safe or a danger. Her eyes just have a quizical look in them, like she can probably see right through me. And the look disappears when she makes up her mind about me and then she smiles… this time it's a bright smile, showing her straight white teeth and dimples.

"Miss Everdeen," I say, holding my hand out, dying to know what her skin feels like, "I'm Peeta Mellark, I've, uh, just been hired."

She smiles even wider, "Great to meet you, I'm Katniss."

"Peeta got your Dad's 806 tractor started a while ago," Gale tells her, and I immediately feel even better about my knowledge of engines.

Katniss eyes light up and she turns to me, "Great! That hasn't been running for years!"

I smile at her, "Glad I could help."

Our eyes connect and neither of us look away until we're interrupted.

"Well, let's go eat," Rory says, "Prim's making fried chicken and dumplings!"

We walk to the house and as we enter, everyone rushes forward to greet Katniss. She is obviously everyone's favorite person. After hugging Prim, she bends to pick Posy up into her arms.

"Hey, Rosy Posy," she says, smiling at the little girl, "You miss me today?"

Posy nods and squeals when Katniss starts tickling her. Everyone watches the two interact and we all laugh when Posy tickles Katniss back and Katniss squeals in return.

"Alright, baby girl," Katniss tell her, breathing heavily after playing with Posy, "Let's get washed up for supper!"

When everyone is seated at the large table again, everyone joins hands and Hazel says a short prayer. Then again, everyone digs into every dish on the table.

"Hang on," Katniss says suddenly, "Mr. Mellark, would you like something to drink? We have sweet tea, lemonade, water, milk and beer."

"Get the man a beer," Jim says loudly, "He started up John's old red today!"

I laugh and Katniss gets up and goes to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of Coors Light. She walks over to me and opens it and sets it down by my plate.

"Thank you, Miss Everdeen," I say.

She smiles at me and makes her way back across the table to her own seat. The table is silent for a few minutes, except for the sounds of clinking forks and noises of appreciation of how good the food is. I'm already on my third helping of fried chicken and dumplings.

"So Peeta," Mrs. Everdeen finally speaks in a very soft voice, "Where you from?"

I clear my throat and wipe my mouth on my napkin, "Smithville is where I went to school, ma'am, born and raised in Chippewa County," I explain, my face heating as I catch Katniss looking at me, "My family had a farm there but my father decided to sell… so I needed some work and now here I am."

"Well, we're sure glad you called," Hazel says, "I know the haying is coming up and it's just too much on Vick's allergies, Prim can't lift a bale, and the physical work is a lot for Katniss' diabe—"she stops suddenly when Katniss clears her throat loudly.

I look at Katniss to see her blushing, looking down at her plate.

"Well, I'm glad I can help," I tell the table, but then I turn to Katniss again, "But I don't know… it looks like Miss Everdeen can handle a few bales."

She looks up and smiles widely at me, her embarrassment forgotten. I am glad I made her feel better. We continue to stare at each other until Prim's voice interrupts us, breaking our eye contact for the second time tonight.

"Katniss made peach cobbler… who's ready for desert?"

I don't know how I do it after eating three helpings of Prim's chicken and dumplings, but I take two pieces of Katniss' peach cobbler and as soon as the first bite touches my lips, I'm grateful for my decision. After dinner, the girls all stand up to clear the table. I start to take my plate to take my plate to the sink, but Katniss stops me.

"Here, let me," she insists and I hand it to her saying a quick thanks. She throws me another smile.

Gale hands me another beer and we go out and sit on the porch in one of the many rocking chairs. We sit in silence and it's so relaxing and peaceful here; listening to the frogs and crickets chirping and I look out to see thousands of fireflies in the fields. It's amazing how much I like it here and how much it feels more like home than my own has felt the last few years.

"So how do you like it so far?" Gale asks me after taking a drink of his beer.

"I like it," I tell him honestly, "Looks like a good place for me to be for a while."

He nods, "Yeah, we grew up just over that hill," he points off to the side of the house where there's a hill, "Mom, Dad, Vick and Posy still live over there; they bring the four wheelers through the woods to get here."

"Are you and the Everdeen's related or something? Y'all seem close…" I say, but really I would like to know if he is dating Katniss.

"Nope, just good friends... our parents all went to school together and Kat and I were in the same grade and Prim is just a year younger than Rory. We all grew up together…"

I nod and take another drink while Gale continues, "I saw you checking out Kat, by the way..."

I choke a little bit on my beer, but hold my composure.

Gale chuckles, "S'all right, better than the assholes who are usually chasing her around…"

I don't say anything, but I'm sure my cheeks are a little red.

Gale looks over his shoulder and checks to see if anyone is listening in the kitchen and then he leans in closer to me, "I just want to warn you though, she's a tough shell to crack… but I saw her smile when she first saw you and believe me when I tell you, she only saves those kinds of smiles for us here at home."

I smile a little bit to myself, still unable to say anything to Gale without embarrassing myself. We suddenly hear a loud truck pull into the driveway and Gale and I both look up to see a fancy black Ford truck roaring towards the house and it haults to a stop at the end of the sidewalk, squeeling tires and gravel flying.

"What the hell does this asshole want?" Gale mutters, setting down his beer and standing at the edge of the porch with his arms crossed over his chest.

The tall blond man driving the truck steps out and walks over to us, "Where's Kat? I need to talk to her."

I stand next to Gale, sensing that this guy is trouble. I turn to see Rory coming out the house too, the same 'don't fuck with me' look as Gale.

"Sorry, she's not here…" Gale tells him, his face cold and hard.

The man snorts and points to Katniss' truck, "That's her truck, moron, I know she's here… just go get her so we can talk."

Gale makes no movement, but we hear the screen door open behind us and a second later, Katniss sneaks passed me and walks towards the guy. I notice the way he looks at her and I don't like it.

"Cato, they asked you to leave…" she tells him cooly, "and I don't want to take anyone to the hospital again."

I relax only slightly when I notice the empty look in her eyes as she talks to him.

Cato snickers at her, "come on, Kat, let's get out of here… go down to the creek."

He goes to grab her arm and in one sudden movement Gale, Rory and I all take a step towards them, ready to pull his ass away from her. She gets out of his grip and takes a few steps towards us.

"For the millionth time, Cato, no, I'm not going to the creek with you," Katniss says, more angrily now, "You need to leave before Gale breaks your nose again."

Cato gives Gale the finger, but again Gale just glares at him.

"Who the fuck is this guy, Kat?" Cato says, pointing at me, "Is this who you're with now? Are you fucking this guy?"

"Cato!" Katniss yells at him, clearly embarrassed.

I feel the anger welling up inside me. I don't like to fight, but I've been in a few before… and right now I really want to kick this guy's ass for talking to her this way.

"Go home, Cato!" We all turn to see Jim Hawthorne standing in the doorway, with the same angry glare that Gale is wearing.

Cato stands there for a second just staring at Katniss, but she doesn't move. After one more look at me, he finally turns back to his truck, gets in and storms away down the road. The tension leaves with him and soon we are all a little more calm.

I look up to see Katniss standing in front of me, but unable to look me in the eye, "I'm sorry about that," she says softly, her cheeks a little red, "He's a jerk and-and…"

"Your boyfriend?" I ask her and she immediately looks up.

What the hell made me ask her that? It's none of my business!

"No…" She answers, a little taken aback by my question, "Just someone who can't take no for an answer…" and with that, she walks past me and goes back into the house.

I watch her walk away and I feel like such an idiot for asking her that… I just met her! I down the rest of my beer.

The next few days pass in a blur. I love the new job and every second I spend with the Hawthorne's and the Everdeen's, I like them more and more, especially Katniss. She's not around a lot; I learned that she works about sixty hours a week at the hospital so it doesn't leave a lot of time for her to relax. And when she isn't working, she's taking care of her horses, baking, or working in the garden.

Gale, Rory and I are getting along great in the house on the Everdeen's land. It's a pretty nice house and Mrs. Hawthorne is always cleaning it and stocking the refrigerator for us. Gale was right, if you work here, you'll definitely be taken care of. The work is tough, but I like it. We work from sun up to sun down with only breaks for meals. Gale, Rory and I are normally in the fields, while Jim and Vick milk cows. Primrose feeds all the calves and other animals every day.

The sun has been relentless on my bare back today and I know I'm going to have a mean sunburn, but I just don't care… its way too hot to wear a shirt. I'm driving the hay rake through one of the many fields when I look up to see Katniss walking through the field with a large water jug. She's waving and smiling at me so I smile back and stop the tractor. When I jump off, she is almost near me and I suddenly feel very thankful that I'm a working man with a toned and muscled body. I watch her walk towards me in her cut off shorts, tank top and rubber boots. Her hair is back in a long braid, but of course, it's messy as hell and I love it. My heart skips a beat.

"Hey…" she says as she reaches me, "I thought you might be thirsty."

I smile and take the jug from her hands, "Thanks, Miss Everdeen, and yes, it's just a _little_ warm today," I say sarcastically.

She smiles and we continue to look at each other for a moment. This seems to be an ongoing passtime of ours, staring at each other and not saying a word.

"You're done with work already?" I ask her, trying to keep a conversation going.

She nods, "Fridays, I usually get done early… we always go down to the Hob for Friday night fish," she explains, "You should come."

I smile, "Gale mentioned it," I say while nodding.

"Okay, well, come…" she says again.

And the way she says those words to me causes my mind to cloud over.

"I'll be there, Miss Everdeen."

She smiles wider and turns to leave. I watch her all the way back to her truck and I can't help but notice the way her ass looks in those shorts. And the rest of the afternoon, all I can think about is grey eyes and short shorts.

It takes two trucks for all of us to get to the Hob for the fish fry. The girls ride in the cabs while us boys ride in the back with the tailgates down. Katniss is wearing a sundress with a belt tied around the waist and a pair of cowgirl boots… this is the first time I see her in a dress and I like it even more than her short shorts and tank tops. Gale recommended I wear a button up shirt and jeans, but I was thankful to see he and Rory were wearing their work boots so I put mine on too. I left my hat at home and this is the first time anyone has ever seen my thick, messy and curly hair. When Posy jumps into my lap, she keeps running her hands through it and giggles. As soon as we enter the Hob, we are greeted by almost everyone… it seems that the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's are very well known around here.

"Well, shit, y'all, look who just walked in," a voice calls over the microphone.

I look up to see a man standing on a small stage with a guitar, a few others around him with other musical instruments. Jealousy grows inside me again when he addresses Katniss.

"If it ain't, Miss Milledgeville herself, Katniss Everdeen!"

People throughout the Hob clap and whistle loudly and I turn to see Katniss blushing, but she takes a shy bow anyways. I'm not the only one enchanted by Katniss Everdeen.

"Come sing for us, cuteness!" the man with the microphone yells.

I narrow my eyes at the endearment. It takes a while for everyone in the bar to get Katniss onto the stage, but now she's standing up there looking embarrassed while a waitress leads us to our table. I chose a seat where I can see the stage clearly, Gale and Rory on either side of me.

"Peeta, this is Madge, the sheriff's daughter," Gale says, while slipping his arm around the pretty blond waitress who is passing around glasses of water.

She gives him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Heard a lot about you, Peeta," she says with a smirk, "But not from Gale."

I'm a little confused when she says that… I don't really know who else would tell her things about me, but I let it go as soon as I hear the music start up on the stage. And as soon as Katniss starts to sing, the same two words that I thought when I met her go through my head.

Holy Shit.

"_She grew up on the side of the road…_

_Where the church bells ring and strong love grows…_

_She grew up good, she grew up slow…_

_Like American honey…_

_There's a wild, wild whisper blowing in the wind_

_Calling out my name, like a long lost friend…  
Oh, I miss those days as the years go by…  
Oh, there's nothing sweeter than summertime…  
And American honey…"_


	3. Chapter 3 The Hurt

I continue to watch her sing until Gale nudges me in the ribs and I'm forced to look at him.

"It's your turn to order, man," he tells me with a knowing smirk.

"Oh, sorry," I tell Madge immediately, my cheeks heating up at being caught.

Madge looks like she's been waiting for me to order for a while now.

"I'll take the five piece fish and French fries and a Coors, please," I tell her, my gaze not meeting hers.

I look around the table to see Prim giving me the same knowing smirk that Gale and Madge are giving me. I'm completely aware that I look like a loser right now.

I decide to try to start a conversation, "Who's that she's singing with?" I ask Gale.

"Don't worry, man, not a boyfriend," he says knowingly, "That's Finn, he's one of our friends from high school," he points to a dark haired waitress across the room, "That's his wife Annie; they just got married a few weeks ago… Katniss was the maid of honor and I was the best man."

I nod, "How long has she been singing?" I ask him.

"Forever... she used to sing here with her dad on Friday nights, and she's done all kinds of talent competitions, but she only does it for fun."

We're interrupted when Finn's voice is heard in the microphone again, "Ladies and gentlemen, who wants to hear another one from Katniss Everdeen?"

Around the bar, people clap and whistle excitedly and Katniss blushes again. Finn asks the crowd if anyone has any song requests for Katniss to sing. There are shouts of different songs throughout the bar, but Prim jumps up and yells as loud as her small body will allow.

"The one you were singing before we went to bed the last night! Beautiful eyes!"

I can see Katniss' eyes widen and for a moment she looks scared, but then her expression changes to something I can't read. She sends a glare towards her younger sister and I wish I was able to read her mind. And then her eyes suddenly fall right to me… and we lock eyes for a moment before she quickly looks away and clears her throat.

"Okay, I wrote this one a few days ago," Katniss tells the bar, "It's called 'Beautiful Eyes'."

She starts to play Finn's guitar…

_"Your beautiful eyes stare right into mine, I don't know why…_

_And sometimes, I think of you late at night, I don't know why…_

_I want to be somewhere where you are; I want to be where…_

_You're here; your eyes are looking into mine…_

_So baby, make me fly…_

_My Heart has never felt this way before…_

_I'm looking through your eyes…"_

_She suddenly looks up and makes eye contact with me… And she isn't looking away, and neither am I._

_"I wake up, I'm alive, in only a little while, I cry…_

_Cuz you're my lullaby, so baby come hold me tight…_

_Cuz I… I want to be everything you need; I want to be where…_

_You're here; your eyes are looking into mine…_

_So baby, make me fly…_

_My Heart has never felt this way before…_

_I'm looking through your eyes…"_

_"Just as long as you're mine, I'll be your everything now…_

_Let me love you, kiss you…_

_Oh baby, let me miss you…_

_Let me see your, dream about, dream about, dream about your eyes…_

_Beautiful eyes…"_

I can't move… I can't take my eyes away from her. She's still looking at me and there's a light blush on her cheeks. We are taken out of our own little world when Finn speaks into the microphone again.

"Thanks, Katniss, always good to hear your beautiful voice," he says and then he raises his beer in Katniss' direction, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Katniss Everdeen," the crowd claps for her and she steps off the stage and walks to our table as Finn says... "We'll get her back up here again before she leaves!"

Katniss sits next to Prim, but she doesn't look at anyone or talk to anyone and I'm noticing that when she's embarrassed, she keeps her eyes down and that light pink color continues to grace her olive-toned skin.

"You have a beautiful voice, Miss Everdeen," I tell her from across the table.

She looks up at me smiles widely. Again, I was able to make her embarrassment go away for a little while at least.

A while later, Madge brings out our food and it's the best fish I've ever had. Katniss sits right across from me and I notice she's the only one without an alcoholic drink, besides Vick and Posy, who are way too young. I also notice that when everyone at the table has ordered fried fish, she has ordered it broiled and a baked potato. She only has two pieces instead of three or five like everyone else. For a moment, I think she worries about her weight, but that would be crazy! She's thin and very active… I'm almost ready to ask her why she's not eating when I see her pull out a small black case from her purse. She unzips it and then she pulls out a meter and pricks her finger and squeezes it so there's a tiny bead of blood on the tip of her finger. Then finally, all the pieces fall together. She's diabetic. She's eating healthy, probably always has. That's why she's eating broiled instead of fried… that's why she never eats her own dessert at home. That's why she shouldn't be helping with all the harder farm work, because it would be too much on her body when it's already more weak than most people's. I continue to watch her as she reaches under her dress and pulls out her insulin pump, attached to her by a cord. She is pushing buttons on it and then she puts it back up under her dress. For a brief second, I wonder where she's putting it when that dress is so small and I feel myself twitch in my jeans when I think about the tan skin of her thighs. But then she catches me watching her, and I immediately feel bad for staring. I've never seen anyone checking their blood sugar before... I don't even think I know anyone with diabetes.

She smiles, but it's an embarrassed smile, "Type one, thirteen years now…"

I smile back at her and raise my beer towards her, "Here's to fifty more."

She looks down shyly, but I can see her beaming, "I hope so," she says as she clinks her sweet tea against my beer bottle, "I was eight, when I found out...I was peeing every five minutes and I lost a ton of weight," she tells me, "Mama took me in to the clinic and I had to stay for almost a week."

I listen to every word she says as we eat, "I don't really know much about diabetes…" I admit and because she offered some personal information, maybe I can let her get to know me too... "I can tell you all about Leukemia," I add and immediately I feel a sharp pain in my chest thinking about my little brother.

She senses my discomfort and I'm shocked when I feel her hand slide across the table and gently grab onto mine. She squeezes it once and then releases it and I immediately miss the warmth her hand gave me momentarily. And the rest of supper is passed in light conversation with everyone at the table. Every once in a while, my eyes lock with Katniss' and she smiles at me and my mouth goes dry at the sight of her. I'm very aware that next to me, Gale notices our interactions, but he doesn't say anything.

"Catnip, you should go up and sing some more," he tells her after we've all finished eating.

"What do you want to hear, Gale?" she asks him, finishing her glass of sweet tea.

I wonder if her lips and mouth taste like the tea she's always drinking.

"You pick," he tells her before she stands up and makes her way back up to the stage, where Finn is waiting for her.

For the next hour, Katniss and Finn and the rest of the band sing songs that they have obviously sung together before. There are even a few people in the crowd who sing along with them if they know the song. I am surprised to see even Mrs. Everdeen singing along softly to a few. When we're ready to leave the bar, it takes a while because all the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's have to say goodbye to everyone. I am introduced to a few family friends, who all tell me that I work for great people and I tell them I couldn't agree more. When I make it towards the door, I look behind me to see Cato talking to Katniss next to the stage and my eyes narrow in on them. Then I get Gale's attention and he looks over to them too, with that same angry glare from the other night. We continue to watch their exchange… she looks uncomfortable. After a minute of clearly turning him down again, she walks away from him and his eyes follow her until she walks past me and he looks me dead in the eye. I think if looks could kill, I'd be dead man… But I hope the look I give him in return tells him to stay as far away from Katniss as possible.

I follow Katniss out the door and to the truck, "You want me to do something about that guy?" I ask her, fully aware that I sound like a possessive boyfriend.

She looks up at me and again I can't read her expression, but she laughs, "No, he's harmless; all talk."

"I hope that's true… I don't like that he makes you uncomfortable."

She laughs again, "Mr. Mellark, are you worried about me?"

I shrug and open the truck door for her to get in, "No… Did you date before or something?"

She shakes her head, still laughing, "Is this how you are when you're jealous?"

I look down, a little embarrassed, but then she stands up on her toes and reaches a hand to my cheek. I cannot refrain from doing so, so I lean in a little to take in its warmth as much as I can before it's gone. I look into her face and she's smiling the biggest smile I've ever seen from her.

"You're awfully handsome when you're jealous…" she says so quietly that I'm not even sure that I didn't imagine it.

My mind has clouded over and I can't breathe. She gets into the truck and closes the door, still smiling at me. I stand there until we are joined by the rest of the group, another moment passed...

The next few weeks pass uneventfully. The weather continues to be up in the upper nineties and Prim, Katniss or Hazel bring jugs of ice water to the fields for us. The skin of my upper body is a dark tan now and my already light blond hair is even brighter, almost white blond. I go home every night sore and with hay all over my sweaty skin and dreaming of the farmer's daughter and all the missed opportunities I had that day to ask her out.

There have been several times that I catch Katniss looking me up and down while at supper, while I still have my shirt off. I like thinking that she checks me out just as much I check her out. I also notice that she has been cutting back on her hours at the hospital, so she spends more time at home.

Right now, Gale and I are tinkering on his old Chevy truck that won't start and I'm distracted when I see Katniss just getting back from a four-wheeler ride from the pasture where she was checking for new calves. She is almost completely covered in mud and so is the four-wheeler.

"You better hose off, Catnip, your mama's going to kill you," Gale tells her, not looking out from underneath the truck.

"Yeah, I know, there's a huge mud hole out there and I could resist," she tells us and I smile at her.

I continue to watch her park the four-wheeler next to the water spigot and she turns it on and hoses down the four-wheeler. When it's clean enough, she turns the hose on her legs and she hoses off her muddy boots and then steps out of them to get her legs cleaned better. I swallow hard as I watch her take her muddy tank top off, leaving her in only a lacy black bra and her short jean shorts. I quickly look around to see if anyone can see me watching her before I look back at her again. I'm sure she wouldn't be able to see me if she looked this way… I can't take my eyes away from her body. She unhooks her insulin pump and sets in on the seat of the four-wheeler before she unbuttons her shorts and slides them down her wet legs, leaving her in the bra and red boy shorts. I take a minute to admire her round breasts, small waist and down to that perfect ass, and down her legs… I wonder how those legs would feel wrapped around me…

"Are you done whacking off yet?" Gale's voice causes me to jump.

I turn to look down at him staring at me while lying on the pulley. I clear my throat.

"Wh-What? No, I was just…" But really I have no excuse.

"I asked you to hand me the wrench like ten times, man," Gale says, beginning to laugh. I hand him the wrench, not saying a word. "You got it bad, Mellark… Just ask her out already. You're practically fucking each other with your eyes all the damn time."

I glare at him, "Hey, man, that's not all I want with her… she's, well, you know...different."

"You think I don't know that? I see the way you look at her when she's fully clothed too!"

I don't have anything else to say so I risk taking another look towards the water spigot, but the four-wheeler is gone and so is Katniss. I let out a deep sigh and run my hands through my hair. I got it so bad.

That night at supper, I have a hard time making eye contact with Katniss after seeing her in her underwear. I will need to find some sort of relief in the shower tonight when I get home. She keeps looking at me like she's concerned there's something wrong with me but all I can do is give her a small smile. After dinner, I insist on taking my own plate to the dishwasher as everyone else starts making their way to the porch, leaving me alone with Katniss. We silently clear the table and I help her load the dishwasher, every once in a while locking eyes and smiling shyly at each other. When we're all done cleaning up, she hands me a beer and grabs a second one for herself, opens it and takes a drink. I'm shocked… in almost a month since I started working here, this is the first time I've seen her drink a beer.

She smirks at me… her own secret smirk, "If I pass out after this one, my shot is in my purse," she tells me.

I laugh, but she can tell I'm a little worried that might really happen but instead I ask, "How long has it been since you drank?"

She smiles, "High school… Gale and I stole all the beer from the fridge and took it down to the creek to share with our friends," she explains while laughing, "I only had four and Gale had to take me to the clinic so they could slow my heart rate down."

I freeze, "Okay, so one is your limit then…"

She laughs and we go out onto the porch to join everyone else.

"Kat, go get your guitar," Prim tells her as soon as we're seen, "Sing to us."

Katniss nods and hands me her beer before turning back into the house. When she returns, she has her guitar with her and she takes a seat on the first step of the porch, leaning back onto the railing. I watch as she looks out into the fields towards the thousands of fireflies flying around. She smirks that secret smirk again and starts to play a tune…

"I love this one…" Prim says softly, recognizing the tune and humming along, "Daddy used to sing it when he'd tuck us in."

_"Before you met me I was a fairy princess…_

_I caught frogs and called them Prince and made myself a Queen…_

_Before you knew me I traveled 'round the world…_

_I slept in castles and fell in love 'cause I was taught to dream…_

_I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top to capture tinker bell…_

_They were just fireflies to the untrained eye, but I could always tell…_

_I believe in fairy tales and dreamer's dreams like bed sheet sails…_

_And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles, anything I can to get by…_

_And fireflies…_

_Before I grew up, I saw you on a cloud…_

_I could bless myself in your name and pat you on your wings…_

_Before I grew up, I heard you whisper so loud…_

_Life is hard, so is love, child, believe in all these things…_

_I found mayonnaise bottles and poked holes on top to capture tinker bell…_

_They were just fireflies to the untrained eye, but I could always tell…_

_I believe in fairy tales and dreamer's dreams like bed sheet sails…_

_And I believe in Peter Pan and miracles, anything I can to get by…_

_And fireflies…_

_Before you met me I was a fairy princess…_

_I caught frogs and called them Prince and made myself a Queen…_

_Before you knew me I traveled 'round the world…_

_I slept in castles and fell in love 'cause I was taught to dream…"_

I am completely lost in her… they way she looks out towards the fields, her eyes filled with unshed tears. I notice Mrs. Everdeen crying silently and Primrose is crying into Rory's shoulder. His eyes are a little glassy too. Jim and Hazel are rocking in the porch swing, Posy asleep on their laps. Both of them look sad. Gale is sitting with his eyes closed, probably trying not to cry himself. I look back at Katniss and she stands up, sets her guitar down and walks down the steps... then takes off running across the lawn. I stand to follow her, but pause for just a second wondering if I should just leave her alone.

"Go after her," Mrs. Everdeen's soft voice tells me and I turn to her, asking her if she really thinks I should.

When she nods, I take off at a run, chasing after Katniss Everdeen.


	4. Chapter 4 The Kiss

(From the Point of View of Katniss Everdeen)

I wish I was cold as stone

Then I wouldn't feel afraid

I wish I didn't have this heart

Then I wouldn't know the sting of the rain

I could stand strong and still

Letting your memory fade

I wouldn't hurt like this or feel so all alone

I wish I was cold as stone

I keep running until I get to the pond. I strip down to my underwear, remove my annoying insulin pump and take a deep breath and jump off the dock. The water is cool on my skin and immediately, I feel calm… Daddy loved this pond. But instead of feeling the sadness I just felt after singing Daddy's song, I feel happy because this was his favorite place in the world, especially when he was teaching us how to swim. When I come up for air, I see Peeta sitting on the dock, his boot covered feet dangling above the water. I turn to him and we just stare at each other for a moment. It's amazing how we hardly know each other, but whenever I look into his eyes, I feel like I've known him my entire life. And he knows me… the way he looks at me makes me think he knows me better than anyone else does and maybe better than I know myself.

He looks away first, clears his throat and starts talking, "My little brother died last year… a year ago next week actually," he tells me, looking off into the field while shaking his head, "Leukemia. He was going to be a senior in high school, just seventeen. He was… he was just… so much better than me," he pauses, looking sad, "But he was the one who looked up to me, you know? It never made any sense to me…" he starts laughing now, "He was funny, extremely smart; he wanted to be an architect. He liked to farm, not as much as I do, but he liked it enough."

I don't know what to say… I've always hated it when people would always say 'I'm sorry' whenever they learned about my father's death. So I tread in the water, watching him and listening to every word.

"It was really hard on my parents… mom still cries all the time, dad misses his farm. We had to sell it so they could pay for Richie's medical bills and funeral costs," he goes on to tell me, "I felt so… useless, you know? I was the one who taught my little brother how to drive a tractor or put together a motor… but I couldn't help him when he was sick…" he runs his hand through his hair again, "I was completely helpless… until Gale hired me here."

I nod, understanding completely. He's looking at me again and I swim over to him, holding my hand out.

"Swim with me," I tell him, knowing that the time for sharing has passed.

He looks at me and laughs, "Swim with you?"

I nod, "Why is that funny?"

He shrugs, "You're half naked, Miss Everdeen, or did you forget?"

I splash him with water, "It didn't keep you from looking when I was hosing off the four-wheeler!"

He looks away and he is blushing furiously, "I- I-uh- I guess I have no excuse… you are very nice to look at," he tells me, then with a smirk he looks at me again, "especially when you're wet and dirty and next to a four-wheeler…"

I laugh loudly and splash him again, "Please… Swim with me…"

He takes a deep breath before standing up and taking his shirt off then bending down to take off his boots. I watch the muscles in his arms and back move. I take a minute to admire his flawless body in the moonlight… tan skin, strong arms, strong chest and stomach… when he looks up at me, I look away as soon as I can. I know he saw me when he starts chuckling to himself.

"Is it going to make you uncomfortable if I swim in my underwear?" he asks me while unbuckling his belt.

I shake my head, still unable to look at him. I take this opportunity to duck under water and not come up until I see and feel him jump into the water next to me. We both surface at the same time and laugh.

"Are you glad I talked to into swimming?" I ask him.

He nods, "So glad… I don't remember the last time I went swimming."

"I come here when I'm sad," I admit to him.

He looks at me for a second, thinking to himself, "I don't like it when you're sad," he admits, "Or embarrassed or uncomfortable… I like it when you're smiling and singing… and now, I like it when you're swimming." He finishes with a laugh.

Again, we look into each other's eyes, neither one of us saying what we really want to say… what we know we both feel. I swim closer to him and slowly, very slowly raise my hand to his face… and he leans into it just like he did that night outside the Hob. He places one hand around my waist and pulls me a little closer, but careful to not let the front of our bodies touch.

I smile shyly at him, "I wrote 'Beautiful Eyes' about you…"

He smiles at me in return, "The night I met you?"

I nod my head in answer as he pulls me a little closer to his body. It's amazing that even in the cool water, I can still feel the heat radiating off his arms and his chest. We are close enough to feel the heat off each other's breath and to count all the colors in each other's eyes. He looks like he's asking me for permission with his eyes… and he gets it. He lowers his head slowly, our lips almost touching…

"Cannonballs!"

We jump apart to see Gale, Rory, Prim and Vick all running off the dock and jumping in the water in front of us. Peeta and I exchange looks… he looks amused, but I am completely frustrated. They ruined a perfect moment! He smiles at me and immediately I melt and smile back. For the next hour, the six of us swim around, splash each other and just enjoy the water. When we decide to get out and turn in for the night, Peeta and I don't get another moment alone… we'll have to find another time for that kiss.

The next morning, Prim and I wake up early to load up her goat for the fair. We get him into the back of my old truck and as I go fetch a bale of straw for Lady, the goat, Peeta, Gale and Rory pull into the driveway. Peeta smiles at me as soon as he sees me and follows Gale and Rory into the house for breakfast. I haven't eaten yet this morning and I need to remember to do that before we leave. I grab a straw bale and carry it by the twine to my truck and I'm able to get it into the bed of my truck with no trouble. I close the tailgate and Prim and I head off to the house.

"Katniss Marie, don't let me see you carrying a heavy bale again, you hear?" Hazel scolds me as I enter the kitchen.

"It was only one, Hazel, not a problem," I tell her, making my way to the sink to wash up.

As I check my blood sugar, I notice all eyes on me, looking concerned… except for Peeta's. He just looks at me, smirking. I turn back around to see Hazel, hands on her hips and her foot tapping… not a good sign.

"You remember the last time you did too much work on your own, missy?" she hisses at me.

I don't answer; I'm fully aware of what happened.

Hazel continues to scold me like a child... "You didn't eat yet that morning either and then your blood sugar got so low, you were shaking and sweating so bad, then throwing up all over the place… we thought you were going to die right in front of us!"

The room is completely silent for a moment. No one is looking at me anymore, not even Peeta.

"I'm sorry," I say eventually while taking a cinnamon roll, "I'll be outside, Prim," I add to my sister before heading out the door as quickly as I can.

Prim and I are on our way to the fairgrounds when she decides to bring up what she saw between Peeta and me in the pond last night…

"You were looking pretty close to me," she says, giggling the way she does. When I don't say anything she continues, "he so wants you, Kat. He can't keep his eyes off you, and he's not even hiding it! I thought he was going to knock Cato out when he saw you talking at the Hob a few weeks ago."

"Ugh, please, don't talk about that sleezball," I tell her, scrunching up my nose, "and Peeta wasn't going to do anything…" I add, but I know it's not true. If Peeta was nearly as jealous as he looked then I'm sure he would have kicked Cato's ass.

Prim laughs, "So you didn't kiss?"

I shake my head, "We were very rudely interrupted."

"I'm impressed," she responds, "I've seen guy after guy come and beg you for just one date and here comes Peeta Mellark, who hasn't even asked you out and here you are, Katniss Everdeen, smitten!"

I snort, "I'm not smitten!"

"You're so smitten! You've written songs about him and you say his name in your sleep… don't pretend you don't!"

I huff, but I don't say anything… she's completely right. I'm smitten… absolutely smitten.

I pull into the fairgrounds and find a parking spot near the cattle shed where Prim's spot for her goat is. We unload and get her spot all set up and then tie Lady to the hitching post. Prim has to stay here for when the judges come around to ask her about her animal. I tell her I'll be back later with Mama and the Hawthorne's before I leave and head back home. When I get back home, I decide to saddle up my horse, Peanut, and take a ride. We ride through the woods for at least an hour and when I return, the boys are all unloading hay into the haymow. Rory and Peeta are in the hay wagon, unloading hay bales onto the elevator where it leads to the haymow… where I'm assuming Gale and Jim are. I jump off Peanut and start to take her saddle off, but I'm completely distracted. In the last few weeks, I learned that I like watching Peeta sweat… I watch him often, hoping he doesn't see me. Right now, his shirt is off and he keeps bending over to pick up bales… sometimes carrying more than one. I feel butterflies in my stomach when I think about him carrying me to a bed with my legs are wrapped around him… ugh, where do these thoughts come from? Suddenly, I get an image of his strong arms holding me as his hips thrust into mine… I swallow hard, and blink rapidly trying to force those thoughts from my mind, but I continue stealing glances in his direction.

I sigh out loud and put Peanut back into her stable before heading back to the house to take a shower, hopefully relieving some of the tension I've been feeling. I braid my hair back in a long French braid so it's out of my eyes and then put on a pair of jean shorts and a white v-neck t-shirt and at the door I put on my red cowgirl boots. When I see Peeta, he is looking mighty fine in a blue and white button up and jeans, with his work boots on and his usual Browning hat. I love the way his curly hair curls around the bottom of the hat and the blue shirt makes his eyes even brighter than normal.

When everyone's ready to head to the fairgrounds, Peeta bends down to whisper into my ear, "You should ride with me…"

I turn to see his hopeful grin and I nod slowly before turning to Gale, "We're going to go on ahead," I tell him, indicating myself and Peeta, hoping he gets the picture.

He smirks and nods at us, "Alright, I'm going to pick Madge up and then we'll meet you there…"

Peeta and I get into his truck and drive off down the road.

He's the first to speak, "I used to show Steers at the fair… Richie showed Dairy."

I smile, "I didn't do any showing, but I decorated cakes for the contests… I sang with Finn and Johanna, well I still do that on Saturday night of the fair... before the fireworks. We usually get a big crowd."

"That's cool," he replies, excited to learn more about me, "Yeah, I noticed you have many fans at the Hob on Fridays…"

I laugh and nod, "It's because I've done it forever…"

We get to the fair and walk around for a while through the cattle sheds, checking out other people's animals. I notice when we walk, he sometimes has his hand on my lower back, allowing me to lead the way. His touch sets me on fire… and the hot shower I had early did nothing to relieve what I'm feeling. We talk non-stop… he's always talking about his family or farming and how he's liked every dessert or baked good I've made so far. The cheese buns are his favorite though and I tell him that now that I know that I'll make them more often. I tell him about growing up in Milledgeville… I'm embarrassed when he learns that I was Prom Queen my senior year of high school and Miss Milledgeville two years in a row. I tell him about Prim and Mama, but I don't talk about Daddy. And he doesn't talk about Richie.

"So I know you play guitar..." he says as we make our way through the pig barn, "what else do you play?"

I blush, "piano, banjo, violin, ukulele… oh and, the saxophone, but I'm terrible... I try to stick to string instruments…"

He laughs, "And what's your favorite?"

"Definitely the banjo... it's the most fun and more complicated to learn."

He smiles down at me again, "And what made you want to be a nurse at the birth center?"

I stop walking, thinking over my answer… 'Because I might not be able to have my own kids and I love them so much that I help other people have kids'… I can't tell him that, too personal. He stops too and looks down at me, concerned.

"I just… I enjoy it, helping people bring their child into the world…" I tell him honestly, "It's a miracle that happens every day, why not be a part of it?"

He smiles at me, taking a step closer and whispers in a low voice, "You are enchanting, Miss Everdeen."

I look down, blushing, "And you're a flirt, Mr. Mellark."

He laughs and we continue walking again, "Only with you." And my heart skips a beat as he grabs my hand.

The rest of the night, we spend some time with Prim, Rory, Gale and Madge… we congratulate Prim on her first place ribbon and then all decide to go find something to eat. We meet up with Finn and Annie while we're eating burgers and fries. It's a fun night so far…

Peeta turns to me, "You have to come back to sing tomorrow right? You want to get out of here?"

I nod while stifling a yawn, "Where do you suggest we go?"

He shrugs, but then smirks at me, "I was thinking we could go back into the pond... in our underwear."

I laugh at him and we head back to his truck, hand in hand. When we reach his truck, I can't help myself any longer… I push him against the tailgate and stand up on my toes and smile at him before slowly putting my lips on his. It takes him just a moment to respond... it's as if he's frozen with desire, but soon his kisses me back, gently at first, his hands on either side of my face. We open our mouths at the same time to deepen the kiss… and soon we are kissing each other hungrily... passionately, my hands locked around his shoulders and his hands have moved down to grip my waist, a firm grasp that makes me gasp into his kiss that causes a sudden low growl in the back of his throat and he picks me up by my ass and turns me around and sets me on the tailgate, causing me to moan into his mouth. He pulls me to the edge of the tailgate where my hips meet his and I can feel his arousal between my legs. I moan into his mouth again and he responds with another deep growl. I can't believe I did this to him… I want him so bad… I want him, but this is crazy. We've only known each other a month. I pull away, but keep my forehead rested on his.

We're both breathing heavily and he is the first to speak, "I'm sorry… I got carried away."

I shake my head, pulling back to look at him, "I've been wanting to kiss you… so bad."

He smiles and helps me off the tailgate and leads me to the passenger's side of his truck where he opens the door for me before going around to the other side to get in. We are silent on the drive home; both getting caught glancing at each other and smiling shyly. When we get back to my house, he walks me to the door… I notice all the lights are off; no one is home… if I was that kind of girl, I would invite him in but I want him for more than that. I want all of him, every single part, flaws and all. He doesn't look disappointed when I don't ask him to come in… that's a good sign. He kisses me sweetly and tenderly before turning back to his truck. I go into the house and close the door behind me, letting my head rest on the door, listening to his truck pull out of the driveway.

I am not only smitten, as Prim would say… I'm falling in love with Peeta Mellark. Falling hard and fast. And I like it.


	5. Chapter 5 The Pond

As I make my way home after dropping Katniss off at her house, I can't seem to string two words together in my mind… I'm completely lost in this girl. I've completely come undone and I don't even care. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever met, both inside and out. When I think back on when she pushed me up against the tailgate and kissed me, I feel myself grow hard. She had the guts to do what I've been wanting to do for weeks now… and what I felt during that moment… I have no words to describe it. Of course, I've been with a few girls before. My first time was when I was eighteen after the senior prom with Delly Cartwright. We had gotten drunk and ended up in the back of her car together. But I had never had feelings for her; it was just a onetime thing. Then when I was twenty, I went to Houston to see a few friends who were in college and I met a girl in a bar. She was hot and blond, so why not? We fucked in the bathroom of that bar… and I don't even remember her name. The last time was a few weeks before Richie died… again; I went out with some friends and ended up taking a girl home with me. I cringe when I think of these times. What was I thinking? Obviously I wasn't thinking with my brain. Surely Katniss doesn't have one-night stands like I have before. No…No, don't think about that. Imagining her with Cato or one of the other guys I've seen checking her out just makes me angry. In fact, I want to kick their asses when I see them looking at her…

What the hell is this girl doing to me? Never have I ever once cared about having more than just sex with any girl I've been with; I actually never even thought of it. I've never asked a girl questions about herself, but with Katniss, I find myself wanting to know every single detail. I'm sure she's only had sex with guys she's actually had a long-term relationship with. And if that would ever happen with us… Could I give her what she deserves? A caring, loving, and strong husband… someday, maybe. I'm twenty-two years old… most of my friends have been with the same girl since high school and some are already married. I've never really been that kind of guy, but is that what Katniss would want in a relationship? Why am I even thinking about this? I've only known her a month and I'm already thinking about marriage. UGH… Fuck.

As I pull into the driveway of our house, I notice Gale's truck is here already, along with Madge's small car. But all the lights inside are off so I assume they are already in bed. But as I open the front door and flick on the light, I'm greeted with Madge screaming and Gale jumping off of her and bending down to frantically pick up their clothes that are thrown all over the kitchen. Gale tries to cover Madge's naked body, but he doesn't need to... my eyes squeezed themselves shut as soon as I saw Gale jump down from the table.

"Shit! I'm sorry!" I say after slapping my hands over my eyes and turning away from them.

"Peeta!" Madge begins, completely breathless, "we thought you'd be with Katniss."

"Uh- I was, but I just dropped her off," I say, still holding my hands over my eyes and not facing them. I can hear the rustling of clothes and I assume they are getting dressed.

"Did you have a good time?" Madge asks me.

I nod, "yeah-uh- yep, she's really great."

I hear Gale clear his throat after a moment, "okay, we're done," he says before I uncover my eyes and face them, "I'll clean the counter," Gale adds with a smirk.

My mouth drops a little and I see Madge is looking extremely embarrassed. She quickly thinks of something to say, unrelated to what I just walked in on, "So are you and Katniss dating?"

I shrug, "I don't know… we just drove to the fair together tonight," I say as I make my way to the fridge and pull out a beer. Both of them follow me into the living room where I sit and turn on the TV.

"And?" Gale asks me, sitting on the couch and pulling Madge onto his lap.

I look over at them and they are both staring at me, wide eyed and eager to hear how my night went. I can't keep the smirk off my face.

"You kissed?" Madge asks excitedly and my smirk only gets bigger. "I knew it! She talks about you all the time!"

I look at her, shocked, "What? What does she say?" I had no idea she talked about me.

Madge smiles, "All kinds of things," she tells me, "Peeta's eyes, and Peeta's hair, Peeta likes my peach cobbler, Peeta and I went swimming… Peeta, Peeta, Peeta."

I have no idea what to say so instead I look away and blush.

Gale chuckles, "you're always asking me questions about her… Just ask her out."

I shake my head, "I don't know if I'm the dating kind of guy… The only date I've ever been on was to prom and I didn't even want to go."

They both look at me for a minute, "well whatever you do with her, it can't be worse than her last few dates…" Madge tells me with the role of her eyes, "They were awful."

I look at her, "Why were they awful?"

I see Gale's face harden and Madge looks at him. I can't read either of their expressions.

"She only went on one date in high school, Joe Marvel, but he was a jerk… The quarterback of the football team and one of Gale's friends," Madge explains. Gale remains silent and continues to look off into nothing. "He took her to the movies and then he wanted to go to the creek and park, but she didn't want to so he got all mad and made her walk home alone."

I shake my head… what an asshole. I may not have the best record with girls, but I have always respected them and their wishes.

"She had to walk eight miles to get home," Madge continues. "She didn't have a cell phone then so we didn't know, otherwise we could have picked her up…But by the time she got home, she was so exhausted she collapsed on the front steps. All the stress and energy she used walking wasn't good for her… plus, she didn't eat that night. She doesn't eat when she's nervous."

Gale finally speaks, "Kate gave her a shot and then John drove her into the clinic."

Madge nods, "Gale kicked Marvel's ass the next day at school and got suspended for two days."

I shake my head, unable to understand how someone could treat any woman this way, let alone Katniss Everdeen.

"And what's the deal with Cato?" I ask them next, eager to know more information about the guy who keeps stalking her, "Wherever we go, he's always staring at her and trying to talk to her."

Gale shakes his head, "he's been after her since we were kids… he thinks that since his family has the biggest farm in the county then he needs to find himself a good farm girl. It's mostly his parents that want to see him with Katniss. I wouldn't really have a problem with him, but I've heard he beats the girls he's with… so we just keep an eye on him mostly."

I think this over, "So she's never really had a boyfriend?"

Both Gale and Madge shake their heads, "She's never had the time… her dad died when she was nineteen. She wanted to quit school and help on the farm, but her mother wouldn't allow it," Madge explains, "So she worked twice as hard and got her nursing degree in half the time it normally takes… she got the job at the hospital to help pay for the farm and keep things going. Everything she's ever done has been for her family and for the farm."

I smile a little to myself. Katniss Everdeen is the most selfless, loving person I've ever met. But my smile quickly fades when a voice tells me that I will never deserve her.

"Katniss needs to have a little fun, Peeta," Madge says, "Her whole life has been work, work work... And already since you've showed up around here, she's cut her hospital hours in half and she's around home more; that's no coincidence. She has a thing for you! Gale tells me all the time how she brings out water to the fields and she's baking more, smiling more, laughing more... It's because of you."

"I've never seen her willing tell someone about her diabetes," Gale adds, "like she did with you at the Hob the first night you came. She's always been embarrassed about it… and I'm sorry for listening, but when you told her 'here's to fifty more', she lit up like the Fourth of July. Her entire life, people have told her what she can and can't do with her condition... and you've met her; she's stubborn and independant so when someone tells her she can't do something, she wants to more."

"Peeta, you've given her hope," Madge says. "Hope that she hasn't had since her dad died."

I think about her words and it's only another minute before I'm back in my truck and making my way to the farm again. I don't even have a plan of what I'm going to do when I get there, but I really just want to be near her. When I pull into the driveway and park, I notice that only the kitchen light is on inside the house. I walk up and knock on the door, but there's no answer. I knock again and wait... still no answer. I worry for just a second until I realize where she probably is and I run down the porch and across the lawn and down to the pond. I can see Katniss sitting on the dock with her feet in the water. As I approach, she turns to look at me and smiles shyly.

I smile back and sit next to her, "Hey."

"Hey."

We sit there for a while without speaking and just enjoy the sound of the wind and the warmth of the air. I take my boots and socks off and roll up my jeans before sticking my feet in the cool water too.

She speaks first, "I wasn't ready to go to bed," she tells me.

I tell her I wasn't either. And she laughs loudly as I tell her what I walked in on when I got home earlier.

"They are always finding a new spot…" she says, still laughing at Gale and Madge, "Last week, I walked in on them in the haymow."

I laugh with her until we both are blushing. I wonder if she's thinking the same thing as I am… what it would be like if someone walked in on us. She looks at me and smiles and I raise my hand to tuck a loose strand of hair into her braid.

"You want to swim?" I ask her and she nods.

I stand and take her hand to help her up. I start to unbutton my shirt and I notice she's watching so I lift my eyebrows and smirk at her. She quickly looks away as she unbuttons her jean shorts, her cheeks glowing pink. I set my shirt down on the dock and begin unbuttoning my jeans. I never take my eyes off her body as she slides her shorts down her long legs and then raises her tank top over her head, giving me a lovely view of her slim waist and the flare of her hips... I think very briefly about running my tongue slowly over her ribcage. She sees me watching and I try to look away, but I can't. She is too beautiful. I stop unbuttoning my jeans and in one movement, I walk to her and hold her face in my hands and kiss her with all the passion and heat that I can give her. She reponds immediately, as if she's been waiting for me to do this since I arrived. For a long time, we stand their kissing. She is wearing only a bra and underwear while I am still in my jeans, but hard as hell. All I can feel is her mouth, her tongue and her soft hands on my bare chest. Her lips are full and soft and hot; she tastes exactly like her favorite sweet tea. After another moment, we pull back at the same time breathing heavily. There's this fire in her eyes that I've never seen before; she wants me as much as I want her.

"Katniss…" Her name leaves my lips like a growl.

She smiles at me and I pull her closer to me so our bodies are completely touching, eliciting moans from both our mouths as our lips connect again. Our tongues meet each other with every movement and I know in this moment I will never want to kiss anyone other than Katniss Everdeen my entire life.

But am I moving too fast for her? I pull back again to read her expression.

"Katniss…" I say again. I hope she understands what I want to say, "Katniss, I don't want you to think I'm…"

She cuts me off with a quick kiss on my lips before she backs away from me. She's still looking at me as she reaches behind her back and before I know it, her bra falls onto the dock next to all her other clothes. Her perfect breasts look even more beautiful in the moonlight; full and soft tan breasts with dark pink nipples and I instictively lick me lips while I stare in awe of her body. I look up to her eyes and I can see the moonlight reflecting in them as they look back into mine. My mind clouds over and I'm sure she can see the want, no- the need, in my eyes. But before I can say or do anything, she dips her thumbs into her underwear and pulls them down her legs until they join her bra and clothing on the dock as well. I swallow hard, taking in her completely naked and beautiful body.

Holy Shit.

I let my eyes start at her toes, up her legs and then linger on her middle, where there is just a little soft, brown hair… that's the area I've been imagining in my mind when I'm alone in the shower the past few weeks. I swallow hard again before letting my eyes travel up the curve of her hips to her thin stomach, where I can see the needle that hooks up to her insulin pump that is on the dock with her clothes. Her breasts… I can't help but lick my lips again when I see her nipples have hardened in the wind. I wonder if they would grow even harder if I had licked them before the wind hit them. I look up to her face next… she's biting her lip nervously, her eyes downcast. I know this look; she's embarrassed. But there's no reason to be... she's the most beautiful person I've ever seen. The farmer's daughter is a goddess.

"You're so beautiful," I tell her as I close the distance between us.

She's able to look up just as my lips meet hers. Again, we are lost in each other's lips... the warmth, the taste. My hand reaches around the small of her back and I pull her towards me until I can feel her bare chest against mine and it lights a fire in both of us. We both moan into each other's mouths at the contact. I am completely hard now and I am positive she can feel it. I want her to feel it… so I grind my hips gently into her and she gasps in my mouth at the feeling. I hold onto her hips and pull her into my own and we both moan even more. My mouth leaves hers and travels to her jaw line, her neck, and her collar bone. I'm taking my time in each spot, enjoying both the moans coming from her mouth and the way her skin tastes like cinnamon and sugar. But before I can explore any further, she pulls away suddenly… I'm nervous I went too far, but then I see her smirking. It's that smirk, that secret smirk and I feel myself twitch in my pants. Before I can capture her mouth with mine again, she jumps off the dock and into the water. When she surfaces, she still has that smirk on her face.

"Come in the water with me," she tells me while she treads in the water.

I nod and remove my jeans, setting them down with our other clothes. As I begin to remove my boxers, I see her duck into the water. It's my turn to smirk… Typical. When I am completely naked, I jump into the water with her. Before I can even take a breath as I surface, Katniss' mouth is on mine and her arms around my neck. I pull her closer and a deep growl escapes in the back of my throat as I feel her legs wrap around me and the feel of her hot skin against mine in the cool water is way too much for me. I have every urge to enter her at this moment... to take her as mine, but I can't. It's too soon and I want to make this last. I want to make this perfect for her… whatever it is.

The next several minutes, maybe hours, who knows how long… Katniss and I kiss with so much passion that I don't know what to do with myself. My mind seems to have lost all control and my body is working with hers. With one hand, I hold her face to mine while I take her braid and untie it, running my hand through her wet hair. My other hand is gripping her ass and pulling her hips towards mine, where I rub against the heat of her core. The feeling is making both of us crazy and I just keep focusing on the sounds that she's making. During the times that I'm alone thinking about her, I've imagined her moans and other noises to be musical, just like when she sings… and so far, I'm right. But when it's really happening it's so much better.

"Peeta…" she gasps when I take one of her breasts in my hand, "Peeta… We should-we should slow down."

I nod and take my hand away from her breast, but I keep my lips connected to hers. She keeps her legs wrapped tightly around me, but I try to keep myself from grinding into her as much as I was before, respecting what she wants.

I pull away to look into her eyes, "I don't want to mess this up, Katniss… We don't need to rush this."

"I think… Peeta, I think you just might be the one I've been waiting for my whole life," she tells me.

I let her words sink in… she feels the same about me that I do about her. In this moment, I know that's real.

"I'm falling in love with you…"

She smiles at me when I say this.

"We need to do this right, Peeta… I want this to work. I've never met anyone like you…"

"It's never felt this real for me before, Katniss…" I tell her while kissing her forehead.

She nods and runs her hands through my wet hair, "It's never felt so right…"


	6. Chapter 6 The Hit

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! I'm so excited that you like my ideas! I just want to clear up a few things and answer some of your questions… **

**If you would like to know the songs I've put into my story, here are a few…**

'**American Honey' Lady Antebellum**

'**Beautiful Eyes' Taylor Swift**

'**Fireflies' Faith Hill (I suggest you listen to this one, if you haven't heard it)**

I had the worst time getting out of bed this morning… After being naked in the water with the most beautiful woman in the world, it took forever to shut down my mind. And my body for that matter… I left Katniss at home while I went home with the most frustrating hard-on I've ever experienced. So I decided to take a hot shower to find a release. I imagined her legs around me as I pounded into her... deep, but show, deliberate movements... just to let her know she's mine. I envisioned my hands on her ass, holding her up and open so I could hit that spot from exactly the right angle. And I finally came when I imagined her grey eyes snap open as I take her orgasm from her. And I have never slept more soundly in my life.

Gale had to pound on my door several times to get me fully awake. I was definitely going to be dragging my ass at work today. I don't even bother to tie my boots before I walk to Gale's truck yawning and rubbing a hand through my messy hair. It's going to be just me and Gale in the fields today; Rory took the day off to spend at the fair with Prim. Gale, however, can't seem to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Had a good night, huh?" he says as he pulls out of the driveway and down the road to the farm.

I nod slowly, smiling to myself too, "she's perfect…"

Gale snorts, "You didn't get back until three in the morning man, what the hell happened?"

I shrug, "I don't kiss and tell… besides you're the one who was all over the kitchen counter with Madge last night," I remind him and then I remember, "you did clean it off right?"

"Yes…" he says, smiling, "After we picked up where we left off…"

I roll my eyes as we pull into the driveway at the farm. We make our way to the house for breakfast and are greeted by Jim, Hazel, Kate, Vick and Posy. I take a seat next to Posy in her booster seat and she giggles at my messy hair.

"Katniss still asleep?" I ask.

Kate shakes her head, "no, I think she's out riding Peanut this morning… That girl doesn't really sleep and rises with the chickens."

Before I can ask why, there are footsteps coming from the porch and a moment later, Katniss walks into the kitchen. She lights up when she sees me and I'm certain I have the same reaction when I see her. She's wearing jeans and an old t-shirt, mud splattered all over her, even in her long braid and a smudge on her cheek. Hmm… Dirty Katniss. I like Dirty Katniss. Then I see what she's carrying… a very fancy compound bow and a quiver of arrows.

What the hell? She hunts too, of course. This girl just keeps getting better and better.

"Go wash up, honey," Hazel tells her.

Katniss bends over and takes her muddy rubber boots off and sets them on the rug with all the other boots.

"Yep, just let me put my bow away then I'll be ready," she tells us, "go ahead and start without me."

She leaves the kitchen with her bow and arrows and my eyes can't help but follow her ass in those jeans. I clear my throat and look around to see if anyone saw me checking her out… Gale is the only one who seems to have noticed. I shrug; my features saying 'What? I can't help it!' Breakfast is passed with Katniss and I sharing shy smiles and innocent brushes of skin; lighting each other on fire some more. This morning before she went out to shoot her bow at some targets, she was able to prepare strawberry French toast and bacon for everyone. I add this dish to my long list of favorites from the kitchen of Katniss Everdeen.

It's another extremely hot day with the temperature at 106 degrees. Gale and I unload several loads of hay; taking turns being on the wagon and in the haymow, where it's even hotter. Katniss brings out water for us several times while she's tending to the garden and the animals. Every now and then I steal a glance in her direction. She's always bent over picking weeds or ripe tomatoes. When I catch a break, I go over and practically beg her to spray me with the hose she's using to water the flowers with, but that just turns out being a mess of us both getting soaked. And there's just something about water that attracts us to each other and as soon as our lips touch, we're all over each other, her back again the siding on the house and it isn't until we hear the screen door slam that we break apart. Hazel stands there smirking… she picked the perfect time to shake the rugs off the porch.

Because of the weather and the fair going on in town, Jim allows Gale and me to take off early. In the afternoon, I fall asleep on the front porch at the Everdeen's; mostly from being up so late but also because the heat took all the energy out of me. It's Posy's naptime too and she ends up asleep in my lap. I wake up to a soft hand on my cheek and I immediately know who is belongs to. I open my eyes to see a pair of grey eyes shining back at me and she kisses me softly on the lips before pick Posy up and taking her into the house. The entire exchange was pretty intimate, almost as if Katniss was my little wife and Posy my small child... but I banish those thoughts from my head as soon as they get there. I check my cell phone and see that it's almost seven 'o'clock. Katniss starts singing tonight at the fair at eight, so I find Gale and we head back to our house to get ready after telling Katniss we would meet her at the fair.

I decide on wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt tonight, knowing it's going to stay hot and after lacing up my boots, I pull my beat up Browning hat onto my head. I make a mental note to get a haircut when I see my messy hair sticking out from under the hat.

"Prim can cut your hair," Gale tells me as if reading my mind, "she starts beauty school in the fall… but she's been cutting our hair since she learned how to use scissors."

I nod and grab the keys to my truck with Gale following me out the door. We ride together to the fair; he and Madge have plans to stay at her place tonight… which is a good plan as Gale plans on getting shitfaced. When we arrive, there is way more people here then there were last night. I see several people who I knew from high school and my side of the county, but not many. Gale and I meet up with Madge, Prim, Rory and Annie, as well as a few of Prim and Rory's friends. I am betting the crowd is here mainly to hear Katniss, Johanna and Finn sing, but I am also told that there will be fireworks later. We make our way through the crowd and find a tall table with a clear view of the stage and take a seat on the stools. Gale makes his way to the beer tent for the first round.

At exactly eight, I hear screams and claps and look up to see Finn, Johanna and Katniss and other band members up on the stage. My breath catches when I see Katniss is wearing a red sundress with white dots all over it. I love her in red. Her hair is back in its braid, but pulled off to the side. She's got her usual cowgirl boots on and a cowgirl hat with a pair of sunglasses since the sun is still shining bright over us.

"Milledgeville, Alabama!" Finn shouts in the microphone. He definitely knows how to run the crowd. "Welcome to the county fair! Ya'll ready to party?" Claps and shouts erupt throughout the crowd. "Okay, grab a beer and start dancing!"

Prim drags Rory out onto the dance floor and I am immediately thankful that with Katniss playing in the band, I don't have to dance with her. Not that I don't want to dance with her… just not in public. Katniss starts playing a tune on her banjo… her favorite instrument to play, before Finn starts to sing.

"_Tell me have you ever wanted someone so much it hurts…_

_Your lips keep trying to speak, but you just can't find the words…_

_Well I had this dream once; I held it in my hands…_

_She was the purest beauty, but not the common kind…_

_She had a way about her that made you feel alive…_

_And for a moment, you made the world stand still…_

_Yeah we owned the night…"_

For several songs, Finn sings songs that Madge tells me he's written himself. Sometimes Katniss adds some background vocals while playing the guitar or banjo. Gale and I laugh as Prim dances circles around Rory, who stands still, taking long chugs from his beer. He looks as though this can't get over soon enough.

"The things he does for that girl…" Gale says, shaking his head at his little brother, "I didn't even dance with Madge at Prom."

"You've been together that long?" I ask him while opening up my sixth beer.

"Since freshman year," he responds proudly, "I'm gonna marry that girl… as soon as I get the balls to ask the Sherriff for permission."

I snort, "Good luck with that…" I say clapping him on the back.

After a while, when it starts to get dark and more and more people appear to be drunk, Finn leaves the stage and approaches our table.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" he asks Gale and me.

Before we can answer Annie is by his side and clinging tightly to him. It's obvious these two are extremely in love with each other. Every time I see them together, they are attached at the hip. Annie smiles shyly at us.

"Annie, explain to Peeta how you two met… after you first moved here," Gale tells her. He turns to me and adds, "It's a great story."

I take a drink of my beer as Annie starts talking, not taking her eyes off a beaming Finn, "well, I was a band geek and we were practicing marching band out on the football field," she explains, blushing red, "I was minding my own business—

"Yeah right!" Finn interrupts her, laughing, "You were in my way!"

Annie waves him off, "I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden I'm knocked on my ass by this guy trying to catch a pass," she runs a hand through Finn's hair, "And I have Gale to blame!" she adds, punching Gale in the arm.

Gale and Finn both laugh, "It was a good plan though," Gale says proudly, "we had it planned for weeks… I threw him a different route and he would run a little further than he was supposed to, that's all… no harm done!"

Annie scowls, "No harm done? I had a broken arm!"

We all laugh at this, including Annie.

"It was worth it though, wasn't it, baby?" Finn says, kissing her cheek. Annie nods happily.

My attention is turned back to the stage when I hear Katniss' voice.

"Hey ya'll," she says smiling shyly. And I look around to see people clapping and shouting for her. "Well, since Finn's taking a good break, I think it's time for Miss Jo and myself to sing a few for you…" she pauses, looking over the crowd, "But we need Miss Madge Undersee to come up and join us."

Gale and I look over at Madge, who is at a near table talking to a group of girls.

"Get up there, baby!" Gale yells at her.

Madge laughs and practically runs up to the stage with excitement, where Johanna and Katniss are waiting for her. Katniss hands Madge her violin and Johanna takes the guitar, while Katniss clings tightly to her banjo.

"Okay, grab a man, ya'll," Johanna tells the crowd, "but make sure he ain't too drunk to haul your ass around the dance floor. This is for the girls."

Girls around the crowd scream and jump excitedly. Gale sighs and makes his way to the beer tent again for our seventh, maybe eighth round. I stay put and keep my eyes on Katniss. By now she has taken the sunglasses off and I love being able to see her eyes.

She starts a soft tune on her banjo before Madge joins in on her violin.

"_I said I want to touch the earth, I want to break it in my hands…_

_I want to grow something wild and unruly…_

_I want to sleep on the hard ground in the comfort of your arms…_

_On a pillow of bluebonnets in a blanket mad of stars…_

_Oh it sounds good to me…_

_I said, Cowboy take me away…_

_And fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue…_

_Set me free, oh I pray, closer to heaven above and closer you…"_

She looks directly at me before finishing, _"closer to you…"_

It turns out Madge, Johanna and Katniss make an amazing trio, playing random songs that they like and some that Katniss wrote herself. They end up playing a few that get a lot of people to dance. But after a while, I am forced out of my continuing eye contact with Katniss when I hear some asshole yelling inappropriate things at them.

"Come on girls, give us a real show!" the voice yells, clearly drunk and slurring his words, "Take your clothes off! Come on Kitty Kat, shows us what you're hiding under all those clothes, baby!"

Gale and I stand up to see who is yelling these things and sure enough, it's Cato, along with a group of others who look equally plastered laughing at the things Cato says. But as soon as I see Cato grabbing for Katniss' foot on the stage, I quickly make my way up there, Gale following close behind me. When I reach the group of assholes, Cato is pulling at the hem of Katniss' dress and she is trying to kick him off… she looks completely humiliated. Johanna is trying to get Cato off her, but she is grabbed by another guy.

"Get off me, fucker!" Johanna yells at the guy who grabbed her, but he doesn't let her go.

Gale grabs the guy by the back of his shirt and that's all I see before I pull Cato away from Katniss. He falls to the ground and I turn to Katniss, who looks humiliated and a little frightened.

"You alright?" I ask her, running a hand down the side of her face.

But before she can answer I feel Cato jump on my back and attempt to bring me to the ground, but I push him off. He is clearly wasted and I'm feeling a light buzz myself. I also remember seeing a few county deputies around here so I'm trying to retain from really kicking this guy's ass.

He looks at me with a death glare, "well if it isn't the hired help!" he shouts.

He and his friends chuckle to themselves. I ignore him and turn to help Katniss off the stage, telling her to go get a drink or something. Thankfully she doesn't argue, even though I know she wants to. Johanna and Madge follow her, but Gale stays and Rory and Finn both appear, looking equally angry that the drunks interrupted the good show. There are still a lot of people around, but they don't really pay any attention to us.

"Just leave her alone," I tell Cato. He laughs and gets really close to my face.

"You think you own her?" he asks me, "Just 'cause you're the one fucking her…"

I say nothing, but my jaw clenches and so do my fists.

"Oh… you are fucking her huh?" he says, chuckling again, "Tell me, how does she feel? I bet she's got one tight pussy…" I can barely control myself from killing this guy, "I bet she's a loud one too huh? Come on man, details…" He laughs again and so do the other guys with him, "Tell me, what do you have that none of us in this town have?"

Again, I stay silent, my face hard and fists still clenched. I can feel the anger coming from Gale, Rory and Finn too.

"Marvel took her out in high school and she wouldn't put out," Cato continues, still in my face, "Every guy in town has wanted to tap that ass and she gives nothing, so tell me... what the fuck man? What'd you do get her to fuck—

I don't hear what else he has to say after my fist collides with his jaw and he falls to the floor, completely out cold. And I walk away without looking back, Gale, Rory and Finn close behind me. I see Katniss at the table with Madge, Annie, Johanna and Prim and as soon as I reach her, I pull her up from her chair and place one hand in her hair and one around her waist before I tip her backwards and kiss her hard and passionately on the mouth. This girl is mine and I want everyone to know it. If I was fully aware of my surroundings whenever my lips touched Katniss', I probably would have heard the catcalls and cheers from the crowd around us. After a moment, I bring her back up, both of us out of breath.

"Let me take you home," Katniss says, kissing the hand that I just punched Cato across the face with.

She throws Prim her truck keys and after picking up her guitar and banjo, we make our way to my truck.

I hand her the keys, "you should feel pretty damn good, baby, nobody drives my truck but me."

She laughs and starts the engine before making our way out of the parking lot and down the road towards the house. When we get there, we each grab a beer from the fridge and take a seat on the couch. After a comfortable silence she sets her beer on the coffee table and scoots closer to me, taking my sore punching hand in hers. She looks at it for a moment before going to the freezer and pulling out a bag of frozen peas. I wince slightly when she places it on my hand. We continue to stare quietly at each other, her hand on mine and we're so close that I can feel her warm breath on my cheek.

"Stay with me tonight," I say suddenly.

And it's not a question. I _need_ her to stay.

She smiles, "Stay with me always."

"Always."


	7. Chapter 7 The Announcement

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! Keep it up and you will see more frequent updates ;)**

**The songs in the last chapter were 'We Own the Night' by Lady A and also 'Cowboy Take Me Away' by the Dixie Chicks!**

**Keep reading! Keep reviewing!**

I wake up in the middle of the night with Katniss asleep next to me on the couch. Her head is tucked under my chin and our bodies are stuck together from our head to our toes. We must have fallen asleep watching the movie she chose last night. I smile at the memory of the movie beginning, but I don't remember anything after her lips met mine and we ended up kissing for what seemed like hours. It's amazing how she makes my entire body heat up with just her lips. We had agreed to keep our hands to ourselves… after I admitted to her that if I touched her once then I wouldn't be able to stop. But her lips on mine is the best feeling I've ever had…

Suddenly her breathing is becoming uneven and she starts to twitch slightly in her sleep… it's almost as if she's having a nightmare.

"Katniss?" I whisper… if it's not a nightmare I would feel awful for waking her up. But if it is…

"Katniss," I say again a little louder after she starts mumbling in her sleep.

Her eyes snap open and for a moment she looks completely frightened. But as soon as her eyes adjust, she is brought back to where we are now. She's breathing heavily and I don't say anything, just rub her back.

When she catches her breath, she speaks, "I'm sorry… I probably woke you up, didn't I?"

I shake my head, "No, I was already awake. Are you okay?"

She bites her lip, "I have nightmares about my dad…" she finally admits and my heart aches, "I, uh… There was this accident a few years ago. Mama said he went out to do chores and she told me to go get him because supper was ready. And that's when... I found him. He was by the calf barn and he was still alive then... I even talked to him. He said he just left tired and that his chest hurt. I asked if he could move his arms and-and he couldn't. I looked away for just a second, trying to think about what I should do, you know?" I nod as she asks me this, but then she continues, "When I looked back at him... he was gone."

I lay there with her in my arms. She doesn't cry… I'm sure she has cried enough over it.

"It was my job to feed the calves then... and that night, I just hadn't gotten to it yet. If I would have done them, he would have already been in the house. He probably never would have even had a heart attack..."

And right now, I understand why she works so hard… why she worked almost sixty hours a week at the hospital and why she worked so hard on the farm… sometimes to the point where her blood sugar would be so low, it would make her sick. I get it now…

"You blame yourself…" I say, and she nods slowly, "So you live every day to make your father proud."

She nods again, "someone needs to take care of my mother… as you can see she still doesn't handle it very well. She needs me… and Prim even more."

"He would be so proud of you…" I tell her and I know it's the truth.

I have never met anyone so popular and so loved by everyone. Everyone has something good to say about Katniss, Prim and Kate Everdeen and the Hawthorne family. She smiles at me and she looks as though she's about to kiss me but suddenly we hear the front door bang open. We both look up from the couch to see Madge supporting a very drunk Gale into the room.

"Hey guys!" Gale says loudly, beaming at us, "We decided to come here instead of Madge's; her daddy's home so you can imagine how awkward that would be huh?"

"Okay, Gale, let's get you to bed," Madge says, laughing, but still looking a little embarrassed.

Gale looks at her with a smirk and slaps her ass playfully, "yeah baby! Take me to bed," he says as Madge pulls him down the hallway into his room.

I look around to the clock on the wall and see that it's almost two in the morning. Katniss and I had only fallen asleep two hours ago. I get up from the couch and hold my hand out to help her up before leading her to my room. She follows me, still hanging onto my hand. I hand her an old t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts before pulling out a pair of shorts for myself. I turn to see her looking shyly at me, a light blush on her beautiful cheeks. I raise my eyebrows and she reluctantly turns away, her back to me. Before I turn away to change myself, I notice she slides the straps of her dress off her shoulders and slides it down her body, leaving her in only a pair of black boy shorts. Her insulin pump hooked onto her underwear. Shit, she's not wearing a bra… she hasn't been wearing a bra all night. My mouth goes completely dry as she turns to look at me over her shoulder. And of course, she throws me that smirk and I'm gone. I make my way over to her slowly… I don't touch her at first, but I'm close enough for her to feel my breath on her shoulder.

"Katniss…" I whisper into her hair.

She looks up over her shoulder at me shyly and smiles.

"Katniss, I really want to touch you…" I tell her honestly, lifting my hand to trace her shoulder blade.

She gasps at my touch and slowly turns around, her breast touching my chest and I'm already completely hard in my jeans.

"So touch me," she says, biting her lip.

I lift my hand to her collarbone, but hesitate.

"Touch me," she pleads.

I don't need to be told a third time. My hand gently covers her breast and my mouth connects with hers. We kiss slowly, my hand gently kneading her breast and my other hand around her waist pulling her closer to me. I feel like I could pass out from the feeling she's given me so I push her against the wall for more support and I'm rewarded with a soft moan from her mouth as I pull her leg up to my hip. My mouth leaves her lips and travels to her cheek, to her neck and to a special spot behind her ear… her breathing hitches when I kiss this spot and I grind myself against her. I pull her away from the wall gently and carry her to my bed, where I lay down and she straddles me. She pulls at my shirt and I help her get it over my head before our lips meet again, this time more passionate and hurried. I pull away to look at her face and I see her smile at me… I can't help but smile back before I connect my lips to hers again. She lets out the most amazing sounds when my fingers trace the top of her underwear. I look up to her to ask permission take them off her, but she stops me. She stands up and goes over to where her purse and dress are on the floor and she turns away while she removes her insulin pump. She turns back to me shyly.

"Sorry, it's kind of embarrassing," she tells me, making her way back over to me.

I shake my head, "Don't be embarrassed… It's safe right, I mean… when you take it off for a while?"

She nods, "I just need a corrective dose when I put it back on."

I nod, making a mental note to read up on type 1 diabetes.

Before I can say anything else she hooks her thumbs into her underwear and pulls them down her legs. She stands back up and looks at me… Here she is, standing in front of me; completely naked… her skin glows in the lighting coming from the bedside lamp. I let my eyes travel up down her body before I stand to remove my jeans, my underwear falling to the floor with them. This is the first time she has seen me fully naked, only ever feeling it against her in the water the other night. She has no water to hide in now while I'm at full attention in front of her. She looks at my cock with wide eyes and biting her lower lip... she looks almost frightened.

"We don't have to…" I begin but she cuts me off with her lips and her body against mine and I fall back onto the bed, pulling her with me.

For a while, we kiss, hands roaming over each other's bare skin. When I roll her over onto her back and settle myself between her legs, I sense her nervousness.

I smirk at her, "I'm not going to have sex with you tonight, no matter how bad I want to, Katniss."

She smiles and lets out a shaky breath, "It's not that I don't want to… I want to, with you… so bad, but it's just kind of soon."

I nod because I completely agree. She's lying against my pillows, knees together in front of me. I slowly bring my hand to her knee and rub all the way up to her hip, loving the feeling of her soft curves beneath my hand. Her body is tense and I can feel her knee shaking under my hand.

I lean down and kiss her lips softly, "relax, baby," I tell her, kissing her shoulder next, "you can tell me to stop any time."

She nods and immediately relaxes. I make a trail of kisses across her collar bone and down between her breasts, all the way to her belly button before following the same trail back up. While I do this, my right hand slowly eases up the inside of her thigh. When I get to her center, I slowly brush my fingers over her and she gasps into my mouth. She's so incredibly wet for me... and so hot that my fingers burn. I pull away to watch her as I continue to rub her most sensitive area slowly and gently. She's moaning and writhing at my touch and I know I could pick ice with how hard I am. She is so wet and I love seeing her bite her lip to keep from screaming out.

"Look at me, Katniss," I tell her and immediately her eyes fly open and she looks at me.

Her eyes are a darker shade of grey then they normally are. I hold her gaze while I slowly push a finger into her.

"Peeta," she gasps, not looking away from me.

I feel her soft hand suddenly grip around my cock and I moan with her. While she finds a rhythm pumping me, I carefully add another finger into her. The next several minutes are filled with us both muttering each other's names and moaning while we bring each other to the edge. As soon as I feel Katniss contracting around my fingers, I feel myself starting to release. She cries out suddenly and I'm thankful Gale and Madge are at the other end of the house.

We lay there, clinging to each other before regaining the energy to keep touching, exploring... taking and giving a few more times tonight.

Afterwords, I tell her, "You're so beautiful," as she snuggles close to me with a smile on her face.

"You're amazing…" she replies, kissing my lips softly.

I think I fall asleep first because when I wake up that's the last thing I remember. Katniss is still fast asleep next to me and I do my best not to disturb her while I check the time. I groan because even if it is Sunday, it's time to go to work. I watch Katniss sleep for a moment and smile to myself, remembering the events of last night. I slowly pull my arm out from under her neck, careful not to disturb her since she looks as though she's sleeping without a nightmare. I get dressed and kiss her forehead before heading into the kitchen, where Gale is sitting at the table with a very large glass of water. He grunts a greeting and I know that he did indeed get shitfaced like he wanted to last night and today he'll be paying for it.

It isn't until supper time that day that I finally see the girl who spent the night with me… the girl I want to spend every night with me. She and Prim have made tacos for everyone tonight. Katniss sits close to me at the table and I can't help but rub my hand over her thigh when we're finished eating. She keeps looking at me smiling. Suddenly, Prim stands up and clears her throat. I have noticed that she's been quiet at dinner tonight I have a feeling we're about to find out why.

"Well, I just thought this would be a good opportunity to make a, uh… a little announcement," she says to the table.

I can't help but notice that Prim is unable to look at Katniss. In fact, she's not looking at anyone except for Rory, who gives her a nod. There's something fishy going on here.

"Well… Rory and I are… we're getting married."

The kitchen is completely silent besides Posy, "Yay! A wedding!" she says happily, jumping in her chair.

Madge clears her throat and I see her nudge Gale in the side, "Yeah, cool! Uh, Congratulations, Roar and Prim!" he says, trying to recover the awkward silence.

"Yeah, congratulations!" I add, standing to shake Rory's hand across the table.

Everyone else takes turns congratulating them, but I notice that Katniss stays in her seat.

"Kind of young, Prim, don't you think?" Katniss says to her sister when everyone is seated at the table again.

Prim nods, "well, I am eighteen and-and Rory is nineteen," she says in defense.

Katniss nods, but I can tell this conversation isn't over between them. I squeeze Katniss' knee in order to tell her that it's okay…

"Prim," Rory says suddenly, looking more nervous, "tell them," he adds under his breath, but everyone at the table has heard.

The entire table looks at her… waiting to her to tell us whatever it is she has to say.

Rory sees that Prim isn't going to say whatever it is out loud. He takes her hand and gives it a squeeze.

"Prim is pregnant."

Oh Shit.

Gasps are heard around the table. I look around to see Gale's mouth hanging open in shock. Jim is staring at Rory and Prim. Hazel is crying a little and Kate is crying a lot. Madge looks frightened. Vick looks confused and Posy is happy as can be. I look at Katniss, who has her eyes shut tight and her hand over her mouth and I think I'm about to see her cry.

But she bursts out laughing. A real laugh, like it's some kind of hysterical joke. I stare at her with my mouth hanging open. What the hell?

"I'm sorry…" she says catching her breath and giggling. She looks at me and I raise my eyebrows at her. "I know, I'm sorry, I have a horrible reaction to these kinds of things…" she says as she laughs again.

I look back at Prim and Rory; both of them look at Katniss nervously.

"I'm just surprised," Katniss tells them, "this is crazy!"

"Katniss," Kate warns.

Katniss stops laughing immediately, beginning to look angry, "Prim… I'm your sister," she says, eyes filling with tears, "I didn't even know you were… you know."

"I'm sorry," Prim says pleadingly, tears running down her cheeks, "I was afraid to tell you because you're just like daddy, you would have been so mad, Katniss!"

"I'm a nurse! I could have helped you!" Katniss yells, slamming her hand on the table.

"Go outside girls!" Kate yells at her daughters.

Katniss and Primrose leave the kitchen and go out onto the porch. I can still hear their muffled shouting through the walls.

"I know you'll take good care of them, Rory," Kate tells him, hugging him tightly.

Rory nods, "I'm sorry," he tells her and his parents, "It's not how this was supposed to happen, but I promise, I'll make it right and I'll take good care of them. I love her so much."

I take a long chug of my beer before getting up and doing over to Rory. I shake his hand again, "Marriage and a baby, Rory… no matter what, a baby is always a special thing."

I smiles at me, "Thanks, man… we thought if we told the whole family together Katniss would have a better reaction, but as you can see…"

"I think it was quite a shock," I tell him, "but she'll come around."

Gale suddenly stands to hug his brother and Madge does the same.

"Congratulations, man," he tell him, "I thought we'd be married before you though."

And all the tension seemed to have left the kitchen. After all the dishes are cleaned up, Gale, Rory and I make our way to the porch with our beers… only to find Katniss and Prim hugging tightly and both crying.

"It's going to be fine…" Katniss tells her, "You'll see. You'll be fine, Prim. Girls younger than you get pregnant every day and they end up having lousy boyfriends… Rory loves you and you'll be fine."

"I'm sorry… I know you're disappointed in me," Prim says.

"No, it's okay, it's okay," Katniss coos into her hair. She smiles suddenly and pulls away from Prim. "A baby, Prim!"

Prim and Katniss laugh together. And I can see that Katniss is truly happy for her little sister; she just had to chew her ass about it first. I find myself thinking that someday, Katniss Everdeen, will make an amazing mother.


	8. Chapter 8 The Love

(From the Point of View of Katniss Everdeen)

My little sister is getting married today… I didn't think this day would come so soon… I can still see her and hear her dancing and singing in the living room in her pajamas. Rory and Primrose would be getting married in a few short hours. Of course, I am four years older than my sister, but I have always known she would marry before me. She and Rory have been in love their entire lives… and I just knew. Besides, she is much better at letting people into her life than I am.

Except for Peeta… In the last three weeks since I spent the night with him, we spend all our free time together. We sit close to each other at every meal and he's always waiting for me in a rocking chair on the porch when I get home from work. He always pulls me into his strong arms for a tight hug and holds my face in his hands as he kisses me. With everything that's going on around here overwhelming me, it's a relief to have him here. He's steady and he sees the good in everything. We haven't had much time to be alone, but there were times where I would catch him watching me feed the horses or watering the garden and he would smirk at me and his eyes would dart over to the shed… asking me to meet him there. I get warm every time I think about his strong arms lifting me up onto the workbench and his warm lips would travel all over my neck and behind my ears. This warmth I feel has nothing to do with the hot weather that's been unrelenting lately. The way he makes me feel… it's like everything I've ever wanted that I didn't think I would ever have; it's all happening. And it's all because of him. I'm falling in love with him. He's falling in love with me.

As soon as I saw the little tadpole on the ultrasound screen, I was able to move past the fact that my baby sister was about to have a baby at such a young age. I watched her reactions as I told her everything was looking good so far with the baby and Rory was by her side the entire time. It is clear that despite their age and the fact that neither one of them are prepared for what's happening that they do have such an unwavering love for each other. Daddy would be proud…

Prim has insisted that I become the lead nurse on her case at the clinic in town… and I was happy and excited to do their first ultrasound with them. We learned that she was about fifteen weeks pregnant and I was able to send her home with a stack of pamphlets full of information on things like breastfeeding. I am certain that she left her appointment feeling very overwhelmed, but as her sister and as her nurse, it was my job to make sure they were ready for January when the baby would come. Last week, Rory found a small house close to home and with everyone's help, they were already moved in. It was a very nice place and small enough for a good start for young parents. And a very good move on Rory's part to find them a place to live right away. Somehow, with all these big changes, we have managed to plan a wedding in three weeks… Prim wanted to get married in the church where our parents were married; a wish I share with her. So I went with her to meet with the preacher and we made the plans for July 21.

During the small ceremony, I stand next to Prim and Gale is on the other side of Rory. The light yellow dress is just above me knees and a silk halter around my neck. I can feel Peeta's eyes on me the entire time and I have to force myself to pay attention to the pastor instead of looking back at those bright blue eyes. All of our friends and family are in the pews watching and smiling happily. Uncle Haymitch even drove all the way from Texas to walk Prim down the aisle; he's slightly inebriated and forgot to shave, but he's always fun to have around. But there is someone who is noticeably missing... and Prim, my mother and I all cried sadly before the ceremony began, wishing our father were here to walk Prim down the aisle. This wedding makes me think more about what kind of future I would like... and when I think about my future, I see Peeta Mellark. I take a look over my shoulder at Peeta, who is sitting with who I assume are his parents. He smiles and winks at me and I can't help but smile back.

When the ceremony is over, we all head over to the Hob for a chicken dinner and a night of dancing, drinking and music. After visiting with friends and family that have traveled a long way for the day, I am finally able to make my way over to Peeta, who is sitting at a table with the Hawthorne's, the Undersee's and his own parents, who seem to be getting along well with everyone. I take a second to notice how Peeta's father is an older version of himself, but he has inherited his mother's blue eyes.

As I approach, Peeta stands and pulls me to him, presenting me to his parents, "Ma, Dad… This is Katniss."

They both stand to shake my hand and I smile, "Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, it's so nice to meet you… I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"We were happy to be invited…" Peeta's mother tells me, "And please, call me Connie!"

"And call me Bobby," Peeta's father tells me happily, still holding onto my hand.

I immediately see where Peeta gets his kindness. His mother is chatty, while his father is pretty quiet. She tells me about Peeta when he was little, and all the sweet things he would say.

"He made a plaque for me for mother's day one year and had his hands imprinted," she laughs as Peeta turns red and takes another drink of his beer.

I place my hand on his knee to sooth him.

"He has always been sweet, Katniss," she tells me, "And he definately knew how to get into trouble back then..." she turns to Peeta, "Who was it who was throwing rocks at the window and shattered it, you or..."

"Richie," Peeta interrupts her, laughing loudly now, "It wasn't me! It was Richie and I was blamed for it for years."

He laughs and I laugh with him, but his parents watch us with strange expressions... like watching Peeta like this was something unheard of. My grip on his thigh and he smiled at me as his hand rested itself in mine, squeezing gently. I am called to the stage a few minutes later to sing with Finn, but before I leave the table, Peeta pulls me in and kisses me sweetly on the lips. He smirks as he sees me blush… Shit… did he just kiss me in front of my entire family and his parents? Finn and I sit together at the piano while Prim and Rory take the dance floor. I begin to play and Finn's amazing voice is heard first…

"_Tin cans on rattling pavement  
Confetti scattered everywhere  
She falls asleep in the seat beside me  
Rice caught up in her hair  
I don't mind it, I keep driving,  
Flying on these wheels of steel  
A bit anxious, a bit nervous  
The moment's all that we can feel_

_If oil is the soul of the engine  
and wine is the drink of the Gods  
Forgiveness the road to redemption  
Faith can still beat the odds  
we're meant to be baby hold on to me  
you'll never not be my girl  
'Cause love is the heart of the world…"_

When it's my verse to sing, I find myself actually getting teary eyed as I watch my little sister being carried away by her prince on a white horse and off into the sunset.

"_I leave him sleeping as I rise early  
Always up before the dawn  
The house is dark, but I see clearly  
Kettle sings a morning song  
The bacon's frying, babies crying  
I soak up the sights and sounds  
Minutes turn to days and I wish that I could slow it down  
If grease is the soul of the kitchen  
And coffee the drink of the Gods  
Routine too perfect to mention  
Time is a thief I would rob  
We're meant to be baby hold onto me  
I'll never not be your girl  
'Cause love is the heart of the world"_

Prim catches my eyes with hers and we share silent, but happy tears as Finn and I finish the song together.

"_Oh, and hope is the soul of the dreamer  
And heaven is the home of my God  
It only takes one true believer  
To believe you can still beat the odds  
We're meant to be baby hold onto me  
You'll never not be my girl (I'll never not be your girl)  
'Cause love is the heart, love is the heart,  
Love is the heart of the world"_

The rest of the night is filled with happy people drinking and having a good time. While I carry Posy around the dance floor, I notice Uncle Haymitch is sitting at a table with Peeta, Gale, Rory and Vick and I'm certain he's giving Peeta a hard time about me. Uncle Haymitch has always given me crap for never having a boyfriend, but I teased him back, saying that there were too many to choose from. Peeta catches my eye and sends me a grin and my stomach does a flip. By Finn's next song, Haymitch pushes Peeta onto the dance floor with me. And for the first time, I think he looks nervous. I pull him to me and place his arms around my waist and my arms go around his neck, where my hands are able to play with his hair. We move slowly as Finn sings "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw. As everyone in the room seems to disappear and we begin to dance on a cloud all alone, I connect my lips to his… slowly and sweetly, but passionate enough to let him know how I feel about him.

Even as a faster song starts playing around us, we stay wrapped in each other, dancing slow."

Make love to me tonight," I say softly in his ear.

He looks down at me as though he's asking me if that's really what I want… because I know that anything I ask him for, he will give me. He will happily give me anything… _anything. _No questions asked. I nod my head, confirming that he heard me correctly. He smiles, kisses my forehead and leads me back to the table where we sit and visit with our families for a while longer. But by midnight, he helps me into his truck and we make our way to his house, where we kiss our way inside. I feel his lips and tongue lighting me on fire, simmering the wet heat in my core. In the kitchen, he grabs my ass and lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, feeling his hardness right where I want him most... and he carries me to his bedroom, where he sets me down so he can close the door and lock it behind him.

"I don't want any interruptions…" he says as his lips find mine again.

He reaches under my long hair to untie the halter of my dress before he slowly slides it down my body. His breath hitches in his throat when he sees that again I'm not wearing a bra and he watches the yellow silk fall to the carpetted floor. As he is taking in my body, I unhook my insulin pump from my underwear and remove the little infusion from its place before setting it on the bedside table. When I return to him, I slowly unbutton his shirt and slide it off his shoulders and then remove his white t-shirt, leaving his chest bare before me, tan and perfectly muscled, a little red from the sunburn he recieved while driving the tractor all day yesterday. I trace my fingers from his collarbone, over his strong abdomen and to his jeans, slowly unbuttoning them. He groans into my mouth as I reach inside to stroke him through his boxer briefs.

"Katniss…" he whispers into my ear after kissing my neck, his gently hands kneading my breasts slowly, before adding, "take your panties off. I need to see you... all of you, baby."

I do as he says because I know in this moment; I would give him anything he wanted too. I back us up until my legs hit the bed and I sit down and pull myself to the center… I want him to take the lead. He knows more about this then I do. He stays standing and instead of leaning over me, he pulls me to the very edge of the bed and takes my foot in his hand before letting it glide up to my inner thigh, making me squirm at his heated touch. I'm up on my elbows but when he runs his fingers over the spot I want him most, I moan loudly and I am forced to lay down. I look up to see him smiling down at me before he slowly pushes one finger into me, making me moan again, my eyes drifting closed.

"You're so wet, Katniss," he says into my ear as he leans down to kiss me while his finger moves in and out of me.

His lips travel down my body, lingering on my breasts where he takes a turn on each one, lathering and sucking. I even feel a small tinge of pain from his teeth grazing my nipple, but it's a good kind of pain. The kind that makes me even more wet for him. The trail of fire left by his tongue leads down to my belly button and then comes to a stop at my most sensitive area between my legs. He smirks up at me, his finger curling and hitting just the right spot as his hot tongue flicks out of his mouth and touches my clit. I cry out suddenly by how good it feels with his lips and tongue there.

"Peeta," I gasp as he enters a second finger, never taking his tongue off me.

He continues until he feels me lose control, until I tighten around his long and strong fingers. He stands up and adjusts my body in just the right position he wants me in and I don't even have a second to think or even breathe before I feel his hardened tip right where his mouth left. I grip the sheets, preparing myself for pain, my eyes shut tight.

"Look at me, Katniss," Peeta says suddenly and I open my eyes to see him looking at me with so much love that my heart skips a beat, "I need your eyes..."

I nod and he pushes himself in... not slow, but not fast. I gasp loudly at the intrusion; there's a small burning sensation, but it's nothing like I expected.

"You're a..." he gasps in pleasure and looks down at me, his face worried, "I didn't know... Why didn't you tell me?"

I shake my head, breathing heavily at the sharp pain I feel while I adjust to his thickness and length.

"I would have done this so differently, baby," he says, pulling out of me.

I wince at the sudden loss of him.

"No, don't stop," I beg, trying to pull him closer.

He lifts me then and helps me closer to the center of the bed while reaching for the sheet to cover us, his body hovering over mine. I look down at his erection and notice a small amount of blood at the tip. He watches me the entire time and looks down too. When he sees it, he shakes his head, but looks lovingly at me again.

"I wish you would have told me."

"Would we be doing it if I did?" I ask, pulling his body closer.

He smirks and grinds his hips into mine, "Yes... I would'nt resist you. In fact, it's kind of sexy, knowing I'm the only one who's ever had you. You're mine, Katniss."

"So touch me," I beg again, "Love me."

And he's there again, his hard, hot and strong cock very slowly makes it's way back inside me. It's still slightly uncomfortable, but the pain is gone and replaced with the greatest feeling of having him there, where no one else has ever been. Not even close. He's so gentle with me, his eyes never leaving mine while he pushes in further.

"Fuck Katniss," he groans, closing his eyes and kissing me when he's completely inside me, "you okay?"

I nod, running my hands through his hair, "make me feel good, Peeta…"

His thrusts grow stronger then, deep then shallow, hitting every single part of me. All I feel is fire and all I see is Peeta. His hand fists in my hair, not pulling, but tight enough for me to feel it and to know that he's holding back, controlling himself.

"Peeta," I gasp again, "Don't hold back."

And he doesn't.

His free hand grips around my thigh, bringing my leg up around his hip, tilting me at a better angle. Neither of us say anything else… we are lost in each other's bodies. His thrusts deeper and deeper every time and I'm meeting his every movement, my hips rising off the mattress. The room his filled with gasps and moans and a few swear words coming from Peeta, letting me know that he's in awe of me and my body and what I'm giving to him... What I'm taking from him. When I feel myself losing control of my body again, his thrusts speed up. I can feel my own walls tightening around him and I know he can feel it too when his grip tightens on my hip and he lifts me up, leaning back on his knees as he holds me tight, thrusting upwards and at a new angle. I come around him hard. Then when he's about to follow me, he loses his strength and pushes me back against the headboard, creating an all new feeling for me and I come again. When he comes a moment later, his eyes are open and on my own and his cock throbs inside of me, pouring hot liquid within me.

"I love you, Katniss," he tells me, breathing heavily, after pulling away to look at my face, his hands wiping the sweaty hair off my face.

I smile and kiss him, "I love you."


	9. Chapter 9

I have never been so happy.

I woke up almost an hour ago, but I can't seem to get myself out of bed. Especially when the most beautiful girl in the world is next to me, sound asleep. But I know that I need to get to work. Even though yesterday was a celebration of Rory and Prim's wedding, today it's back to the hard work under the hot sun.

I know that Katniss has the day off so I kiss her cheek softly and very slowly, I lift myself from the bed so I don't wake her.

I know she's been struggling with the fact that little Prim isn't quite as little and innocent that we all thought she was. I find it strange myself, but the way I see it; it's life. These things happen every day. It obviously wasn't planned and Rory told me himself that they had only had sex a few times, so it was quite a shock for both of them too. But they are happy together… that is the most important thing.

After changing into work clothes, I quickly leave a note for Katniss saying I was going to work and that I would see her later. I gave her one last kiss on her forehead before taking off.

Gale and Rory are both already at the farm when I get there.

"Not even the groom gets a day off today, eh Roar?" I ask him, ruffling his hair.

He shrugs, but smiles, "especially the groom. Dad called me himself to make sure I was coming in."

Gale and I both laugh while we make our way into the house for breakfast.

"Morning boys," Mrs. Everdeen greets us when we walk through the door, "have any of you seen Katniss? She wasn't in her room this morning, and I know she hasn't been home because the horses aren't fed yet…"

I shift in my seat uncomfortably. I thought maybe Katniss had told her mother about her and me, but apparently not. Although, do I even know what we are? We haven't exactly talked about us.

Gale clears his throat and I look up to see him smirking at me, "uh, yeah, Peeta, you've seen Catnip this morning, haven't you?"

I give him a glare, but that only makes his smile grow wider, "Yeah- yes, Mrs. Everdeen," I say, my face flaming as I grab a cinnamon roll, "she's at the house, but she's still sleeping."

I clear my throat awkwardly when I finish talking.

"Well, I think it's time that you start calling me Kate," she says to me and I look up to see her smiling warmly, "But Gale needs to give you a little chat… he promised John he would."

I smile in spite of my embarrassment of telling Katniss' mother that I spent the night with her daughter.

Gale clears his throat and suddenly becomes serious, "You hurt her and I kill you," he says simply.

I nod, because I know he is dead serious. For some reason, I think that's exactly what John would have told me too.

"Never," I tell him.

The rest of the morning passes uneventfully. The day is hotter than it normally is if you can believe it, well over one hundred degrees. So we've been taking longer water breaks in the shade. We've been unloading hay into the haymow all morning. Gale and I are in the wagon while Jim and Rory are in the haymow, but we've been taking turns. The sweat is pouring down my body since I was forced to take my shirt off hours ago.

It isn't until around noon that Katniss finally pulls into the driveway and my heart skips a beat. I feel like it's been forever since I've seen her but really it's been only a few hours. I watch her as she slowly gets out of her truck and immediately I think there might be something wrong. She looks pale and she's walking strange, like she's dizzy. She's walking slowly towards us, but even from here, I can see she's fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Katniss?" I shout over the noise of the hay elevator.

Gale looks up too and sees her. He immediately jumps from the wagon and shuts off the elevator. I jump off and walk towards Katniss, but as soon as she sees me, she stops walking and collapses onto the gravel driveway.

"Katniss!" I shout as I run towards her, "Katniss!"

I crouch down and grab onto her, trying to shake her. Her eyes are half closed and she looks as though she might be aware of what's happening, but then she speaks…

"Peeta?"

I nod, "Yes, Katniss, what happened?"

"Why are we laying in the driveway?" she asks me.

Gale is kneeling next to us before I can answer her question.

"Take her inside," Gale says, "she needs her shot!"

I pick her up into my arms and run as quickly as I can to the house while carrying her. Gale is running ahead of me.

"Set her in the chair," he tells me once we enter the kitchen, "Kate! Kate!"

Kate enters the kitchen looking startled, but when she sees Katniss, she goes into a zone that I've never seen her in before. She is always calm and kind of strange, but right now, she's determined and she knows what she's doing.

I watch her as she tells Gale to go into the medicine cabinet to get her shot and he hurries over and pulls out a blue stick of some kind.

How is everyone so calm? I'm freaking out. I have no idea what's wrong with her, but it's obvious it's something to do with her diabetes. I keep holding onto her as she sits in the chair, but her eyes continue to roll back into her head and her breathing is way too heavy. I put my hand over her heart and I feel it beating… its way too fast.

"It's okay, Peeta," Kate tells me, "This happens sometimes. She'll be fine."

Gale hands the blue stick to Kate and she lifts Katniss' shirt and injects it into her abdomen. After a few minutes, I feel Katniss relax a little bit.

"Okay, hold onto her while I make a sandwich for her," Kate tells me.

I nod before I grab Katniss' hand and start rubbing small circles with my thumb. Her eyes are still strange looking, as though she's having a hard time focusing them on one thing. But her breathing is coming back to normal and her heartbeat doesn't see as fast. But suddenly she starts crying and tries to pull away from me.

I look up at Gale, a little confused.

"It's part of the insulin shock," he tells me, "it makes her cranky and mean."

I nod, "Katniss, its okay," I tell her, still trying to rub her hand. She starts to let me.

Kate made her a peanut butter sandwich and instructs me to keep reminding Katniss to take small bites. I do as I'm told, anxious to get her back to normal.

I've heard Katniss and some of her family talked about insulin shock before. Katniss has told me a few times of when it's happened to her, one being before a basketball game in high school where it was actually so bad she had a seizure. She told me that can happen if she doesn't get her shot soon enough. She's told me about these things, but it's different when I actually witness it myself.

I continue to watch her as she chews small pieces of her sandwich and Kate puts a small glass of chocolate milk in front of her too, which Katniss almost drinks in one gulp.

Suddenly, I worry that what we shared together last night might have caused this. I hope that's not the case because that is something I would like to do more with her, but I hate seeing her like this. It's strange and it's not her. She's not herself.

I raise my hand up to her forehead, which feels cold, but it's still a little sweaty. I softly brush the loose hair back from her face and she turns her eyes to me and smiles, but it's clear that she's embarrassed.

"Why didn't you call? You probably shouldn't have driven… I would have come to get you," I say to her.

She shrugs, "My phone was dead from not charging it last night," she tells me. Her voice is hoarse and her words are slightly shaky, like she doesn't really know what she's saying yet.

"She doesn't remember things sometimes," Gale tells me, "That's why she was so goofy in the driveway. She didn't remember that she even left our house."

"You scared me," I tell Katniss, still playing with her hair.

She smiles softly, "I'm sorry," she says, "But I'm okay, it happens. I haven't eaten since last night."

I shake my head, "That's my fault, I should have made you breakfast this morning. I didn't think about it…"

"Peeta, you stop that," Kate interrupts me, "This can happen any time. It's Katniss' responsibility to keep a schedule of when she eats, when she exercises and she takes very good care of herself. Sometimes, this just happens."

I look up to see Katniss nodding slowly, "I'm okay, Peeta," she tells me, "This is what comes with diabetes."

And now I know what this girl has been through since she was diagnosed with diabetes. At a young age, she had to learn how to take care of her own body and how to treat it. She must have woke up this morning, knowing that there was something wrong and she made her way back here for her shot. If she didn't know herself as well, she might not have tried to get home. She might have died if it got bad enough. That's why she's so responsible, hard working, and determined. She's living her life the best that she can while living with diabetes. It amazes me.

The strength of Katniss Everdeen amazes me more and more each day.

It's clear that I am completely in love with her.


End file.
